Workloads that feel like lead. Every business leader has felt them. HR technology company, Dayforce, exists to lighten the load and Rethink has made that palpable with a teeny-tiny briefcase and a bloke who is – clearly – going to have a great day at work.
The hero commercial was carefully filled with visual metaphors and juxtapositions. From the briefcase to set location, wardrobe to colour, the commercial is filled with symbols of the outdated way of doing things, versus a new way to do things with Dayforce. On set location, the team specifically chose a dated-looking and dark office building, with muted tones and heavy materials like marble and dark wood and complete with wood panelling in the elevator to contrast against the Dayforce office that is modern, light, and bright. In wardrobe, the campaign hero is wearing a light blue and comfortable collared shirt, while his peers are in dark brown, grey and black business attire.
The campaign aims to connect, simply and emotionally, with business leaders – which is a departure from the sector’s typical product-forward approach that exaggerates productivity.
“In a category where many brands can feel similar, it can be challenging to stand out. To help Dayforce do just that, we created a deeply cinematic tone and quality where big emotions could speak for themselves,” added Don Shelford, executive creative director at Rethink. “We aimed to delight audiences with the absurd touches of big and small briefcases played in a totally dry, straightforward way.”
Dayforce has been building success on success since the launch of its initial brand campaign in 2024, with US awareness grew from 17% to 26%, the second-highest relative year-over-year growth in the category (Hanover Brand Equity Study 2024). Tiny Briefcase continues to build on the brand’s Do the Work You’re Meant to Do platform, raising awareness for the Dayforce brand among the C-suite audience at a time when organisations are facing increased complexity.
“HR and business leaders tell us every day that work has become more complex, more uncertain, and more demanding than ever before. It’s a lot to carry – and managing a patchwork of disconnected systems only adds to that burden,” stated Eric Glass, chief marketing and communications officer at Dayforce, Inc. “Our new brand campaign acknowledges that reality and reinforces our commitment to helping leaders do the work they’re meant to do – without the excess that drags them down.”
Dayforce’s AOR, Rethink, led the campaign on strategy and creative, and worked with Prophet on media. The 30-second hero spot is supported by three 15-second cutdowns, broadcast, OLV, OOH, social and digital.
Credits:
Creative Agency: Rethink
ECD: Don Shelford
Creative Director, Art Director: Jake Gauthier
Associate Creative Director, Writer: Evan Kane
General Manager: Karen Pearce
Group Business Lead: Mitch McKamey
Account Director: Nicole Kerrigan
Account Manager: Brooklyn Coletta
Associate Director of Broadcast Production: Sarah “Vings” Vingoe
Production Companies: Feels like Home, Tuna Fish Studio
Director: Jakob Marky
Director of Photography: Marc Gomez Del Moral
Line Producer: Gillian Gardner
Editing House: School Editing
Executive Producers: Sarah Brooks
Offline Editor: Ben Canny
Post-Production: Fort York VFX
Colourist: Jason Zukowski
Producer: Katie Fowler
Sound, Music Licensing & Supervision: Walker
Managing Director: Sara Matarazzo
Senior Executive Producer: Stephanie Pigott
Senior Producer: Danielle Soury
Photographer: Justin Bettman
Client: Dayforce
Chief Marketing Officer: Eric Glass
SVP, Communications and Brand Experience: Eric Glass
Senior Director Brand & Advertising: Jennifer Mullin
Brand Campaign Managers: Lovleen Sandhu & Sahar Shoja
VP Creative Director: Chris Mika
