15Five Brand Campaign: Welcome to the New HR
The Challenge
15Five entered a crowded employee-engagement software market just as demand for HR tools was accelerating. The goal was to get the brand into the consideration set for companies evaluating people-management platforms.
The category itself was shifting: HR leaders were taking on more responsibility. Employee retention was becoming mission-critical, and the role of HR needed to be reframed from administrative to strategic.
The campaign had to position 15Five as more than software. It was the brand leading a new era of HR.
15Five’s launch video introduces human resource directors to the new HR.
The Strategy
The idea was simple enough: The old way of thinking about HR is dead. We reframed the category around a more human, modern approach:
Employees aren’t “resources.”
Engagement drives productivity and retention
HR leaders deserve strategic influence
Digital and social targeted HR decision-makers directly, while out-of-home created broader awareness to support conversion.
Billboards in San Francisco build awareness.
Creative Platform
“Welcome to the New HR.”
The campaign spoke to HR leaders as operators shaping culture, not administrators managing paperwork. Messaging focused on employee happiness, performance and retention and the evolution of HR leadership.
The work elevated HR from function to force with 15Five positioned at the center of that shift.
If you’re in HR and you’re on LinkedIn, you’ve seen these.
Execution
San Francisco Out-of-Home
Billboards and outdoor placements drove awareness and site visits, reaching HR leaders and business operators in the environments where they work and commute.
LinkedIn + Digital Video
Targeted video and social campaigns spoke directly to HR managers, introducing the “new HR” narrative through relatable, role-specific storytelling.
Full-Funnel Campaign System
The campaign spanned digital video, mobile, display, social, email and direct mail. All channels led to a dedicated landing experience designed for education, retargeting, and conversion.
Outdoor boards in San Francisco drove awareness and site visits.
Results
The campaign generated strong engagement and awareness for the brand:
15,000+ social clicks
5M impressions
79% video completion rate
Display CTR twice benchmark
Media investment increased and the campaign expanded into additional markets after launch.
Why It Worked
HR was already changing — the campaign simply gave the shift a voice.
By reframing HR as strategic, human, and operationally critical, the message resonated with decision-makers who were already feeling the pressure to evolve.
Instead of selling features, the campaign sold identity. 15Five wasn’t just a platform. It became the brand representing the future of HR.
15Five founder David Hassell.
About Division of Labor
Division of Labor is a San Francisco advertising agency specializing in brand and launch campaigns for Series A–C tech startups.
We help emerging companies:
build awareness in competitive categories
translate complex products into human narratives
position brands as leaders, not vendors
Companies like 15Five partner with us to move from product utility to category authority.
Truth in outdoor.
The job description for HR people is changing.
A series of digital videos run on LinkedIn targeting HR managers.
15Five helps companies better engage employees to increase retention rates.
Outdoor for 15Five on the streets of San Francisco.
Everything leads to a custom landing page for more information and retargeting.
And, of course, an explainer video details what 15Five is, does and how it can help HR leaders evolve their companies.
Campaign Overview
15Five partnered with Division of Labor to launch a digital, social, and out-of-home campaign introducing the idea of “the new HR.” The work repositioned employee engagement as a strategic business driver, building awareness and positioning 15Five as a leader in modern people-management software.
WANNA KNOW MORE?
-
15Five came to Division of Labor as the market for employee engagement software was heating up. 15Five is a startup that had received series B funding and was looking to build brand awareness and secure its space as a leader in the employee engagement software category. Division of Labor is the ad agency for startups in San Francisco, so we worked to carve out a unique space for the brand and position them as more than just a software company.
As workplace dynamics have changed and employee tenure has dropped, HR leaders have had more and more responsibility heaped on them without getting the respect and positions of power that should go with their increased responsibilities.
This campaign needed to change the perception of HR as a category at the same time it positioned 15Five as the leader of that category.
-
The old way of thinking about HR is dead.
Humans are not resources. Employee turnover is destructive and expensive. Yearly reviews are ineffective. The new approach to HR turns the entire category on its head. Employees are happier, more efficient and more productive. The company is more profitable and informed about employee performance. The Chief HR Officer gets the respect they deserve.
As the ad agency for startups in San Francisco, Division of Labor works with a lot of companies encountering similar problems. Technology is being used to disrupt niche categories but getting
Buy-in from C-Suite executives is still difficult.
Our strategy was to directly target Chief Human Resources Officers with our digital and social advertising. Outdoor was meant to hit a broader awareness target to help the conversion process.
-
The ad campaign ran as digital video, mobile video, digital banners, social media, and outdoor along with direct mail and email campaigns.
-
> 15,000+ social clicks / 5 million impressions
> Video completion rate of 79%
> Display CTR of .13% - twice benchmark
> Only 6 weeks - media spend was increased, markets expandedn text goes here