WeWork pushes first campaign from in-house creative agency

Since its 2010 founding, WeWork has enjoyed a comfortable position of growth as one of the first in the flexible office space market. But competitors such as Knotel and Bond Collective are gaining ground, so the real estate start up is debuting a new campaign, one that paints its offices as spacious and entirely accommodating. It's the first effort from Creative Studio, an internal creative team composed of 10 staffers that was founded in January. The department is overseen by Adam Kimmel, a former menswear fashion designer who is now WeWork's chief creative officer. In a series of digital spots rolling out Wednesday, cramped workers spill out of their tiny, elbow-jamming office in one frame and enter another filled with luxurious couches and clear, acrylic coffee tables topped with wooden chess boards. Some of the 30-second spots are more literal. In one, text reads, "Managing an office is hard. Don't jump through hoops," as a man despairingly gazes at a line of hula hoops labeled with office costs such as "utilities" and "cleaning." He's shown to a better space in the adjacent frame. The spots will appear in shorter 15- and 6-second versions, and in GIFs and static images, on digital channels and social media including Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. The new push targets the mid-market office sector. "We wanted to make something that was relatable," says Michael Fitzsimmons, VP of creative strategy. "The scenarios in the videos ... represent real challenges that a lot of businesses deal with on a daily basis." Let's hope no one is actually dealing with labeled hula hoops—with the exception of parents of six-year-olds. Late last year, WeWork hired Julie Rice, who co-founded SoulCycle a dozen years ago, as chief brand officer. She's tasked with enhancing member experience, according to a spokeswoman. Last month, WeWork posted documents reporting its membership revenue nearly doubled last year to $822 million—though the company also owes some $18 billion in rent, due over more than 20 years, according to reports. CORRECTION: WeWork's internal agency is the Creative Studio. The erroneous name Creative Project Studio was supplied by WeWork in an earlier version of this article.

WeWork pushes first campaign from in-house creative agency

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