UK Brand Awareness Campaign

SD Worx is a leading European provider of HR & Payroll solutions. Having only recently entered the UK market they had very low brand recognition. Our brief was to develop a high-impact campaign to boost brand awareness amongst HR professionals. We created a bold three-phase, multi-channel programme of activity tapping into current topical issues around artificial intelligence (AI). The plan was to capture the imagination of the HR community and provide a thought-leadership platform to introduce and build the SD Worx brand.

Phase 1 – Stimulate debate and intrigue within the HR community

Meet HARRI – Human Advisory Resource: Robotic Interface. A HR Robot powered by AI that was seemingly all set to take over HR departments and replace the role of HR Managers! In a brave move we kept the first phase anonymous, with no mention of SD Worx. We created a spoof robotics company with its own branding, website and impressive animated launch video, backed up with ‘real life’ testimonial videos from companies already trialling HARRI. Deployed via social and digital media activity, the campaign created a storm of interest and engagement across the HR community.

Phase 2 – HARRI is revealed a hoax and SD Worx is introduced

Torpedo produced and created a ‘reveal’ video combining 3D animation and live footage to show HARRI in action. While he is super-efficient, he lacks human empathy. And we show him failing in this crucial respect before revealing SD Worx as behind the hoax and introducing our campaign theme: ‘You can’t take the human out of Human Resources’. This was supported by an extensive integrated campaign spanning social and digital media, content marketing and direct mail promoting SD Worx as the industry thought-leaders: ‘SD Worx – The future of HR’.

Phase 3 – The HR community meet HARRI face-to-face

Behind the scenes, Torpedo were bringing HARRI to life. Working with a TV & Film props designer we created our very own life-sized HARRI, who walks, talks, interacts and displays a range of emotions. HARRI made his appearance in front of 600 HR Professionals at the annual SD Worx conference, enjoying on onstage discussion with the MD of SD Worx and selfies with the attendees. The feedback during the event was tremendous, with many commenting and sharing their HARRI photos via social media.

Results have far exceeded expectations. Over the 3 months the campaign ran for, the video content was viewed over 800,000 times. And the campaign achieved significant reach with 165,000 digital display impressions and over 1.5 million social media impressions.

The campaign is continuing with a series of HARRI video sketches, content, social and digital activity already underway to build on the success so far.