overview

Human Resources (HR) leaders have a straightforward task: fill open roles with the right candidates. So often, those ‘right candidates’ get treated as quotas to fulfill rather than individual human beings. Ultimate Software (now UKG) wanted to change that.

As our long-term partners and clients, Ultimate Software turned to us to produce a 30-second national commercial that shared their view on HR: employees are human beings and should be treated as such.

As their Los-Angeles based video and commercial production company, we set out to help Ultimate Software deliver their value proposition as the platform for HR teams who put humans first. Our goal was to appeal to the humanistic approach of HR leaders at big and established organizations.

Process

Having worked with Ultimate Software on previous projects, we wanted to continue to capture the true essence of their brand, which is that human-first approach. To accomplish that, we wanted visuals that conveyed that, yes, employees have their place and responsibilities within the company, but they also have their own individual life during off-hours.

The takeaway we hoped to achieve was that HR leaders and employers should make it a priority to foster both work and personal lives, and that Ultimate Software would be the right solution for organizations who share this belief.

Our concept involved motion control (to secure the same shot but in ten different places); dualities (all our characters living out their professional and personal lives); match cuts (harmonious flip of scenes, furthering the concept that these characters have two sides); and voiceovers (the script would act as a tribute to employees whose lives evolve outside of the 9 to 5 hours).

The framework was simple: a series of single shots, with the character in the exact same position but with the background changing from professional to personal lives. The message: fostering each side of an individual’s life will positively impact the other side.

The smooth camera movement from person to person and the shot of all characters to close the commercial implies that Ultimate Softwarecan bring together employees from many different backgrounds with a goal of furthering the organization and the individual’s lives.

Result

The ‘Here’s to Your Employees’ commercial was Ultimate Software’s 2018 national TV spot. It was broadcast during PGA events, March Madness games, more national sports events, cable news channels, and airport channels across the world.

Artex was responsible for the conceptualization, scripting, treatment, production, and post-production for this project.

We continue to partner with Ultimate Software, looking for every opportunity to add cinematic vibrancy and emotional resonance to their goal of making Human Resources feel more “human.”