Responses by Michael Lemme, chief creative officer, Duncan Channon
Background: Upwork is contagiously optimistic about the potential of freelancers to solve big problems and drive the evolution of business. Our goal was to tell managers at companies ranging from Fortune 500 to startups with ten employees—in the most engaging way possible—that no matter what’s on their to-do list, there’s a skilled Upwork freelancer at the ready.
Reasoning: We all have unfinished business—even the most accomplished and ambitious among us. So let’s tap into pop culture and today’s most topical subjects to show the myriad ways Upwork could lend a hand. The ‘Hey World’ campaign may joke around, but it is serious about the idea that talented freelancers can get stuff done for people, including some brands, artists, institutions and pop culture figures people know.
Challenges: The real trick—and it’s no easy feat—is to find people, companies and stories that were of-the-moment, but that we hypothesize will have the legs to remain relevant as the media buy draws to a close.
Favorite details: We’re proud of the campaign’s underlying simplicity. These are quick hits and one-liners that tap into pop culture while connecting back to a bigger idea. Namely, we could all get more done if we considered the scope of talent available to us in a new way.
Approach: We wanted everything to feel spontaneous and dynamic, like a liquid that was reacting to the voice-over in real time. We couldn’t be happier with the work of our production partner, Gentleman Scholar.
Specific demands: Maintaining a consistent vibe across a range of media with a stingy schedule. It required a lot of coordination across departments and differing production techniques to create involved animations for video, simpler animations for digital out-of-home and high-impact still-frames for static out-of-home ads and posters.
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