Upwork’s "This Is How We Work Now" campaign articulates a brand proposition centered on redefining the nature of work to unlock human potential rather than constrain it. By positioning traditional work models as outdated and inefficient, symbolized through the metaphor of an undead CEO rising from the grave, the campaign asserts that legacy work practices no longer serve modern workers or businesses. Instead, it invites audiences to embrace a new, flexible approach enabled by Upwork’s platform, where talent and opportunity converge in a more dynamic and inclusive professional landscape.
The market strategy leverages a culturally relevant insight: the widespread dissatisfaction with rigid, conventional work structures that have persisted despite evolving workforce needs. Targeting professionals and businesses navigating the shifting employment terrain—especially freelancers and remote workers—the campaign uses narrative storytelling combined with bold, provocative imagery to challenge established norms. Directed by Ivan Zacharias, the film’s dramatic and unconventional creative approach heightens engagement by dramatizing the “death” of old work paradigms, encouraging viewers to rethink and reinvent how they collaborate and create value. This integrated media effort resonates with audiences seeking agency, flexibility, and innovation in their careers and operations, positioning Upwork as the facilitator of this transition. The campaign’s digital distribution and social media integration further amplify its reach among tech-savvy and digitally connected professionals, reinforcing Upwork’s role in the evolving professional services market.
FORMAT#3 SYMBOLIZE THE PROBLEM — Uses symbols or analogies to represent the problem instead of showing it literally.
This campaign employs the creative device of symbolizing the problem by featuring an “undead” founder rising from the grave in a traditional boardroom, serving as a clear metaphor for outdated business practices and “dead” ways of working. Instead of literally listing workplace issues, the ad uses the zombie CEO as an evocative symbol, dramatizing the obsolescence of old norms and visually framing Upwork as an escape from these constraints. This symbolic analogy underpins the message that the former work paradigms are history, urging the audience to embrace modern, flexible work models—precisely what Upwork offers.
ADVERTISING FORMATS EXPLAINED: https://www.clapboard.com/blog/branding-and-advertising/brand-strategy/12-advertising-creative-formats
1. Fiverr – Market Positioning
Fiverr positions itself as a global online marketplace for freelance services that emphasizes affordability, speed, and accessibility. It appeals to small businesses and entrepreneurs looking for a wide range of creative and digital services through a streamlined, gig-based model, allowing clients to quickly find talent at various price points without long-term commitments.
2. Toptal – Market Positioning
Toptal differentiates by focusing on elite freelance talent in software development, design, and finance. It markets itself as a premium platform that rigorously vets freelancers to offer the top 3% of talent, targeting enterprises and startups seeking highly skilled professionals for critical projects with quality assurance and high reliability.
3. Freelancer.com – Market Positioning
Freelancer.com offers a broad marketplace connecting businesses with freelancers across multiple industries and skill levels. Its strategic angle is providing a large-scale, competitive bidding environment to maximize choice and cost-efficiency, appealing to businesses of all sizes looking for flexible project-based workforce solutions.
4. Guru – Market Positioning
Guru emphasizes building long-term relationships between freelancers and clients through its workroom collaboration tools. It differentiates by offering a transparent and secure environment with flexible payment options, catering primarily to professional service providers and businesses seeking reliable and ongoing freelance partnerships.
5. PeoplePerHour – Market Positioning
PeoplePerHour targets small to medium-sized businesses by combining a curated talent pool with an emphasis on quick turnaround times for digital and creative projects. It highlights ease of use and local freelancer discovery alongside global talent, aiming to balance quality and speed for budget-conscious clients.
Q: What is This Is How We Work Now about?
A: This Is How We Work Now is a 2022 campaign created by Alto New York for Upwork, targeting the United States market within the professional services sector. Directed by acclaimed Czech filmmaker Ivan Zacharias of SMUGGLER, the campaign challenges traditional work models by dramatizing their obsolescence through the metaphor of an undead CEO rising from the grave in a boardroom. It asserts that old work rules no longer serve modern workers or businesses and calls for reinventing work to better serve human potential. The campaign’s central idea is to position Upwork as the platform enabling this new, flexible way of working.
Q: What creative device does This Is How We Work Now use?
A: This Is How We Work Now employs the creative format classified by Clapboard as FORMAT#3 SYMBOLIZE THE PROBLEM. Instead of depicting workplace issues literally, the campaign uses the symbolic analogy of an undead founder and CEO rising from the grave in a traditional boardroom to represent outdated business practices and dead work paradigms. This metaphor dramatizes the obsolescence of legacy work models and visually frames Upwork as the escape from these constraints, inviting audiences to embrace modern, flexible work structures.
Q: What is the campaign proposition for This Is How We Work Now?
A: The campaign proposition for This Is How We Work Now centers on Upwork’s belief that work should unlock human potential rather than limit it. It targets professionals and businesses dissatisfied with rigid, conventional work structures, especially freelancers and remote workers. By positioning traditional work models as outdated and inefficient, the campaign invites audiences to embrace a new, flexible approach enabled by Upwork’s platform, where talent and opportunity converge in a dynamic and inclusive professional landscape, reflecting the evolving needs of the modern workforce.
Q: How does This Is How We Work Now rank in Clapboard's archive?
A: This Is How We Work Now holds a Clapboard Campaign Score of 72/100. This score reflects the campaign’s creative ambition, execution quality, and cultural relevance as assessed by Clapboard’s global ad archive. The rating indicates the campaign’s effectiveness in delivering a provocative and engaging message that resonates with contemporary workforce transformation themes.
Q: Who are the competitors in Upwork's category?
A: Upwork competes with several key platforms in the professional services marketplace. Fiverr positions itself as an accessible global marketplace emphasizing affordability and speed for small businesses and entrepreneurs. Toptal targets enterprises seeking elite, rigorously vetted freelance talent in software development, design, and finance. Freelancer.com offers a broad, competitive bidding environment appealing to businesses of all sizes for flexible project-based work. Guru focuses on building long-term freelancer-client relationships through transparent collaboration tools and flexible payments. PeoplePerHour balances a curated talent pool with quick turnaround times, targeting small to medium businesses seeking quality and speed.
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