The World Can Work Better – Indeed | Clapboard Ad Archive

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The World Can Work Better - Indeed | Clapboard Ad Archive

Indeed’s 2023 campaign The World Can Work Better, crafted by 72andSunny for the electronics and professional services market, represents a strategic evolution in the brand’s global positioning by targeting both job seekers and employers within a single unified narrative for the first time. Anchored by the 30-second spot Without A Doubt, the campaign confronts the inherent uncertainty of job searching, depicting everyday moments where candidates consult family and friends and use Indeed’s platform to confidently navigate toward meaningful work, thereby humanizing the job search experience and emphasizing transparency, flexibility, and wellbeing as central workplace values. The campaign’s creative approach, which Clapboard’s taxonomy classifies as FORMAT#10—Associated User Imagery, eschews dramatic storytelling in favor of authentic, relatable portrayals of diverse individuals engaging with contemporary employment challenges, including flexible work arrangements and salary transparency to address the gender pay gap, reinforcing Indeed’s role as a facilitator of better work connections worldwide. By deploying these spots across premium television and digital video channels, notably during the NBA finals, Indeed leverages high-visibility moments to solidify its status as the number one global job site, boasting over 635 million verified job seeker profiles and serving more than 3.3 million employers across 60 countries and 28 languages. This integrated campaign underscores Indeed’s commitment to transforming the future of work by merging data-driven platform capabilities with emotionally resonant storytelling, positioning the brand not just as a job search tool but as a catalyst for improving how work fits into people’s lives on both sides of the hiring equation. The World Can Work Better signals a broader shift in recruitment marketing by recognizing the shared aspirations of employers and employees, while the campaign’s use of everyday scenarios over feature-heavy demonstration highlights a sophisticated understanding of audience empathy and brand trust. Clapboard rates this campaign 63/100. This campaign matters to the industry because it demonstrates how employment platforms can elevate their brand narratives by addressing systemic workplace issues through human-centric storytelling that bridges the divide between talent acquisition and job seeking.

Credits

Client

Indeed

Agency

72andSunny

Category Mind Map

48%

Indeed’s 2023 campaign, “The World Can Work Better,” articulates a brand proposition centered on redefining the employment experience by bridging job seekers and employers in a unified narrative. The campaign underscores Indeed’s position as the leading global hiring platform, emphasizing its role as a facilitator of meaningful work connections that align with individuals’ aspirations and employers’ needs. By addressing challenges such as the uncertainty in job searching, the campaign conveys a promise of greater transparency, flexibility, and wellbeing in the workplace, positioning Indeed as a catalyst for improving how work functions in people’s lives. Strategically, the campaign leverages the insight that both job seekers and employers share a mutual interest in more effective and fulfilling work arrangements. For the first time, Indeed targets these two distinct but connected audiences simultaneously, using relatable human stories to highlight contemporary workplace issues, including flexible work options, salary transparency to close pay gaps, and wellbeing measurement. The creative approach centers on narrative spots directed by Ian Pons Jewell, employing everyday scenarios that resonate emotionally and practically with viewers. By deploying the 30-second “Without A Doubt” spot across high-visibility platforms like TV and digital video during the NBA finals, the campaign aligns Indeed’s brand vision with moments of widespread attention, enhancing reach and relevance. This integrated strategy combines storytelling with data-driven targeting to reinforce Indeed’s authority and comprehensive utility in the employment ecosystem, aiming to shift perceptions about job searching from an uncertain leap to a guided, confident journey.

FORMAT#10 ASSOCIATED USER IMAGERY — Shows a user profile the target audience can relate to or aspire to. This campaign fits Associated User Imagery because it features relatable, everyday job seekers and employers in common life scenarios (such as consulting family and friends) rather than dramatizing a single narrative arc or explicitly demonstrating features. The focus is on diverse, realistic portrayals of people engaging with work and job search challenges, aligning the brand with their aspirations and needs. The ads invite the audience to see themselves in these depicted users, underscoring a broad, aspirational vision—the world “working better.” The metadata and genre cues reinforce the intentional use of representative, relatable user imagery over direct feature demonstrations or classic storytelling structures. ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/branding-and-advertising/brand-strategy/12-advertising-creative-formats

1. LinkedIn – Market Positioning LinkedIn positions itself as the premier professional networking platform that integrates job search, talent hiring, and career development through social connections and content sharing. It differentiates by leveraging its vast professional network, robust data-driven hiring tools, and a strong emphasis on personal branding and skill endorsements, making it indispensable for career growth and talent acquisition globally. 2. Glassdoor – Market Positioning Glassdoor focuses on transparency in the workplace, providing user-generated reviews, salary reports, and interview insights from employees. It differentiates by empowering job seekers with insider information on company culture and compensation, and helps employers build authentic employer brands through feedback and engagement, enabling more informed hiring and career decisions. 3. ZipRecruiter – Market Positioning ZipRecruiter positions itself as an AI-powered job marketplace that simplifies and accelerates the hiring process. It differentiates through its user-friendly platform that distributes job postings across hundreds of job boards, uses matching technology to connect employers with qualified candidates quickly, and offers small to medium-sized businesses an accessible recruitment solution with scalable capabilities. 4. Monster – Market Positioning Monster emphasizes a comprehensive job search and recruitment platform combining job listings with career advice, resume services, and candidate assessments. It differentiates by offering deep recruitment analytics and veteran presence in the market, focusing on both volume of listings and providing tools to optimize hiring and job searching experiences for diverse industries. 5. CareerBuilder – Market Positioning CareerBuilder focuses on data-driven recruitment solutions and talent management tools, integrating AI and labor market analytics to streamline hiring. It differentiates by serving enterprise-level clients with scalable recruitment technologies and workforce solutions, positioning itself as a strategic partner for companies seeking to optimize talent acquisition and improve workforce planning.

Q: What is The World Can Work Better about? A: The World Can Work Better is a 2023 international advertising campaign by Indeed, created in partnership with agency 72andSunny for the United States market. It marks the first time Indeed targets both job seekers and employers in a single campaign, emphasizing the brand’s belief that work is a vital part of life where people can achieve their aspirations. The campaign features relatable human scenarios directed by Ian Pons Jewell, exploring themes like flexible work, salary transparency, and workplace wellbeing. It launched with the 30-second spot Without A Doubt, airing on TV and digital platforms including the NBA finals. Q: What creative device does The World Can Work Better use? A: The World Can Work Better employs Clapboard’s FORMAT#10 ASSOCIATED USER IMAGERY, which focuses on portraying relatable, everyday job seekers and employers in common life situations rather than dramatizing a single narrative or explicitly showcasing product features. This approach uses diverse, realistic depictions of people engaging with work and job search challenges, inviting viewers to see themselves in the scenarios. The campaign’s creative device aligns the brand with broad, aspirational user experiences, emphasizing authenticity and emotional resonance over traditional storytelling structures. Q: What is the campaign proposition for The World Can Work Better? A: The World Can Work Better positions Indeed as the leading global hiring platform that bridges job seekers and employers through a unified narrative focused on meaningful work connections. The campaign addresses shared challenges like job search uncertainty, workplace flexibility, salary transparency, and wellbeing measurement. By targeting both audiences simultaneously, Indeed communicates its role as a catalyst for improving how work functions in people’s lives, promising greater transparency and confidence in the employment experience within the electronic devices and professional services sectors. Q: How does The World Can Work Better rank in Clapboard's archive? A: The World Can Work Better holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 63/100, reflecting its creative ambition, execution quality, and cultural relevance as assessed by Clapboard’s global ad archive. This score indicates the campaign’s effectiveness in combining storytelling with strategic targeting to reinforce Indeed’s authority in the employment ecosystem. The rating underscores the campaign’s balance of emotional resonance and brand positioning within a competitive market. Q: Who are the competitors in Indeed's category? A: Indeed competes with several key players in the job search and recruitment market. LinkedIn positions itself as the premier professional networking platform integrating job search, talent hiring, and career development through social connections and content sharing. Glassdoor emphasizes workplace transparency by providing user-generated reviews and salary reports to empower job seekers and employers. ZipRecruiter offers an AI-powered marketplace that simplifies hiring with broad job distribution and matching technology. Monster combines job listings with career advice and recruitment analytics, while CareerBuilder focuses on data-driven recruitment solutions and workforce planning tools for enterprise clients.