Workday Presents, 'The Rock Stars of Business World Tour' won Gold in B2B at The Drum Awards for Marketing. This innovative campaign disrupted the typically quiet B2B space by enlisting rock stars like Billy Idol, Gwen Stefani, and Travis Barker to spotlight Workday's customers, transforming them into the rock stars they are in business.
A marketing campaign that was less elevator music and more stadium rock anthem. It's a story of disruption, innovation, and a brand that dared to turn up the volume in the typically quiet world of B2B. Workday gave the audience the stage they deserved, and in turn, they rewarded the brand with their attention, their engagement, and their business.
Despite Workday’s ongoing success in enterprise software—over 60% of Fortune 500 companies are customers [1]—the impacts of long sales cycles and consistently being drowned out by old school giants Oracle and SAP were being felt in the bottom line. In fact, only 5% of B2B buyers are “in market” at any given time, and 90% of buyers purchase from a vendor on their “day one” short list [2,3]. Put that together, and it’s easy to see why sales cycles can take up to two years [4,5]. Workday was being drowned out by key competitors with an influx of white papers and webinars. When all of the ads look and sound identical, it’s nearly impossible for the audience to see Workday’s value. 82% of business decision makers (BDMs) agree B2B marketing is ‘boring and predictable’ [6]. Meanwhile, it’s creativity that drives effectiveness [7]. And despite 75% of B2B marketers using influencer marketing, there are 6x as many influencers on Instagram than on LinkedIn [8, 9, 10]. To capture attention in the B2B space, Workday needed to stand out from the sea of sameness.
The two most important assets of any organization are its people and its money. That, arguably, makes the people responsible for managing and getting the most out of them—CFOs (Chief Financial Officers), CHROs (Chief Human Resource Officers), and CIOs (Chief Information Officers)—the most important people at the organization. These hard-working virtuosos are finally being seen as the bold visionaries they are—no longer considered back-office, behind-the-scenes operators [11,12,13]. To get their attention, Workday couldn’t copy-and-paste the classic B2B playbook. Disrupting C-Suite networks and business hubs wasn’t an option—or was it?
There was still a gap between the self-image of Workday’s audience, versus public reputation. They saw themselves as bold changemakers, but the world didn’t [14]. Despite their significant contributions, they lacked the recognition and admiration that their roles deserved. The back-office functions were craving a little spotlight. They wanted some R-E-S-P-E-C-T, and Workday was ready to give it to them.
Let’s face it, rock stars seem to have it all. Money, fame, and adoration. Have you ever seen a real rock star feel threatened by straight-laced, boring business execs? Not likely, but when corporate types won’t stop calling each other rock stars for the amazing ways they’re using Workday to kick ass in business, rock stars had to take action and infiltrate the corporate world. In the process, Workday’s customers would receive the spotlight they deserved and had earned: a big stage, worthy of epic business transformations. Workday enlisted a cast of seasoned rock stars—Billy Idol, Gwen Stefani, and Travis Barker—to bring cultural fame and attention to Workday’s scene-stealing customers. These titans of the stage weren’t just annoyed by the co-opting of their beloved moniker—they were taking it to a new level by pleading directly to corporate types in their most sacred spaces and through the mecca of corporate complimenting: LinkedIn.
Workday’s new TV commercial premiered during the Masters—where the C-Suite works and plays. Striking OOH appeared in major DMAs and transportation hubs around the globe. Programmatic, digital, and social rounded out the paid promotional plan. And for the first time in Workday history, the brand took its rock stars of business concept on the road in a unified global launch that began in the US and spanned six key markets alongside Canada, UK, France, Germany, and Australia.
Billy Idol went where no rock star has dared to go, trolling corporate types with a warning: yes, Workday might make them great at their jobs, but they still can’t call each other rock stars. Workday partnered with LinkedIn and Billy to ensure that his profile on the platform was legitimate and reflected his skills and actual career. Billy engaged directly with Workday's top customers, executives, and industry thought leaders, provoking new engagement that disrupted the business-as-usual LinkedIn feed.
The Rock Stars also pleaded their case in front of 15,000 adoring fans at Rising—Workday's annual customer showcase—with cameos and live performances. Then the Forever Forward Tour Bus (designed and decked out specifically for 1:1 sales interactions) hit the road on a strategic customer-love-inducing route across the US.
The Rock Stars of Business World Tour was a strategic and creative masterpiece that paired the audience’s desire to be recognized with the bright lights of the biggest stages in business. Ultimately, WDAY revenue was up 18% compared to the first quarter of fiscal 2024 and continued at over 16% in Q2 after the campaign launched [15]. This effort boosted brand consideration and Workday's global business, where sales closures often take up to two years in the face of economic uncertainties and other business headwinds. Billy Idol’s LinkedIn profile also smashed LinkedIn’s engagement benchmark by over 200% and drove an increase of over 20,000 new social media followers for Workday in the campaign’s first three weeks [16,17]. Billy’s following only continues to grow, with additional Workday activations planned in the future.
Talk about a mic drop.
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