Since its inception 70 years ago, ADP has been viewed as a conservative HR brand that a majority of people simply equate with a logo on their paycheck. Responding to the rapid changes in their industry and culture overall, the company is embarking on a journey of transformation with a clear goal of changing the notion of what an HR company can stand for, should behave like, and the role it can play in people’s lives. The ultimate objective was to reposition ADP as a dynamic, design-savvy company that is ‘clearing the way for a better way to work.’ 

The key insight for this activation is that there are many systemic, workplace barriers that get in the way of doing great work, e.g., antiquated work systems/arcane technology, lack of work/life balance, gender discrimination, etc. The event idea was first to create compelling physical manifestations of those barriers, both literal and metaphorical, and follow that up by giving participants the tools to remove—or more accurately joyfully obliterate them. We chose to bring the idea to life at SXSW with a partnership with Wired magazine. The festival (and Wired) is at the intersection of culture and technology, breaking ADP out of their traditional Human Resources/B2B bubble while announcing their new brand purpose of clearing the way for ‘a better way to work’ in a fresh and unexpected manner.

The strategic alignment of SXSW, Wired Magazine and ADP was rooted in their brand positioning which was a perfect synergy. ‘SXSW exists to dedicate itself to help creative people achieve their goals’

& ‘ADP is always designing HR technology to clear the way for a better world of work’ The activation strategy was to connect with like-minded individuals who want to achieve something greater in their world of work. SXSW is a cultural epicenter for inspiration and innovation across business, tech, film, and music. We achieved our lofty goal of making an HR company stand out among the buzziest and exciting brands and activations at the festival. The focus was to gain relevance with this influential, innovation-driven crowd and transform their perception of what an HR company can be.

The execution was curated havoc. Participants got the ultimate satisfaction of physically ‘breaking barriers’ by smashing objects that symbolized obstacles that get in the way of doing great work. The first day of the event was March 8th International Women’s Day… a great day to smash the glass ceiling. The activation began with a mini questionnaire to find out what barrier participants needed/wanted to overcome: Barrier What You Break Lack of Advancement Glass Ceiling Pay Gap Piggy Banks Work/Life Balance Wall of Clocks Outdated Work Systems Fax Machines & Old Computers Guests suited up in protective gear and selected their tool (e.g., sledgehammer, baseball bat, crowbar, etc). Then they entered the ‘Break Rooms’ - one for each barrier - where they clobbered the barrier to pieces. Beyond the therapeutic physical experience, guests walked away with a slo-mo video of themselves in action doing glorious, soul-nourishing damage. The event was carefully designed with everything from custom lighting in each room to signature cocktails (e.g., the SX Smash).

The goal was to help transform ADP from a ‘stuffy old HR company’ to a ‘cool forward-thinking brand’ that cares about people. Our experience did so in a way that not only shattered preconceived notions of how HR can behave, but stole the show with the highly influential and famously hard-to-please SXSW crowd. It all added up to a bold new chapter in ADP’s brand story of clearing the way for ‘a better way to work.’

o 260 Glass Ceilings Shatteredo 255 Clocks Smashed

o 230 Fax Machines Obliterated

o 193 Piggy Banks Bashed

o 1,594 Videos Shared

o Over 200 Million Impressions

o Covered by national and international media outlets

o Stock price increased 9.68% since event (an important barometer for any B2B company) “Smash the Patriarchy and Other Workplace Problems at SXSW” – NBC “ADP’s Exhilarating SXSW Experience Let Attendees Literally Shatter the Glass Ceiling” – AdWeek “One of the Craziest Activations at SXSW” – Entrepreneur