Zenefits

Zenefits came to us at a massive crossroads. Previous leadership had brought on some bad press, and legislative changes meant they had to pivot their business model from a brokerage to a SaaS subscription model. They knew change was coming, but didn’t know to what degree they needed to (do we change the name?), or how to (re)build relationships with audiences who were previously competitors, like other brokers, but would, going forward, become target customers. The company’s initial skyrocket to unicorn status was under threat. Their valuation had dropped by nearly half when they partnered with Butchershop.

Together, with new leadership under Jay Fulcher and Kevin Murasco, we used data to truly assess the perception damage, and a unique insight from that data to transform the company. No, the name didn’t need to change – hardly anyone outside Silicon Valley was aware of the bad press. But our national research study revealed something else. The prevailing zeitgeist of “great company culture” was crushing the HR departments of SMBs who aren’t large enough and can’t really afford an employee experience department or “Czar of Fun”, so the burden to make company culture great was falling to understaffed, under-resourced HR. Here was the opportunity, because Zenefits could shed some truth on this point. We positioned the brand to poke at the bloated, and frankly, misguided sense of “great company culture.” Great culture wasn’t about kale smoothies and ping pong, it was about being a place where you actually cared about helping employees have better working lives by arming them with the programs, tools, resources built for a fluid, mobile, hybrid work-life. The modern workplace was radically changing but the HR tools to support it weren’t. Zenefits stood for a kind of HR, one that didn’t feel like a trip to the DMV, but more like a sleek consumerized solution to work tool woes. If you wanted great culture, not just snacks and a game room, Zenefits actually had your back. “In It Together” became the rally cry for all of HR facing a totally new employee and industry landscape.