It's been a tough gig for those who have started their careers in the pandemic, with remote working offering little opportunity to learn from more senior colleagues and group virtual meetings somewhat intimidating for those who haven't even met their team IRL.

HP shows it understands these concerns in a new spot out of Wieden+Kennedy Portland. It starts with a somewhat shy young woman finding it hard to speak up about a big idea she has in a virtual meeting. Promoting HP Presence Meeting Space Solutions, the ad goes on to show her journey to making her presence felt with a little bit of fantasy storytelling. She crumples up the piece of paper that contains her idea and throws it away, but the little ball goes on its own journey around the city. It falls into dumpsters and sewers and gets kicked around by dogs and children before finally reuniting with the woman in an in-person meeting, where she finally drums up the courage to share what's on the paper. Her bravery even inspires another colleague who, in turn, is listening in remotely.  

The ad was directed by Nick Ball via MJZ. In a nod to the hybrid world it's trying to portray, the film was shot by Ball with a tight team on the ground in Budapest, while the majority of the team joined virtually.

It's the latest HP spot from W+K that tries to bring emotional resonance to a dry product message. Last month, the agency debuted a sustainability-focused spot that showed trees being "printed."