No more rockstars, say Billy Idol, Joan Jett in Workday Super Bowl ad
- Reference: 1676028849
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2023/02/10/workday_ad/
- Source link:
This weekend's US sports extravaganza will coincide with the launch of a [1]less-than-targeted set of ads for the SaaS provider of payroll, HR and finance software – that is, unless the football-loving masses are secretly multi-million dollar tech budget holders. Who knows?
But we guess it's all about creating the right impression. And the impression Workday wants to create is one of being cool by deriding everyone else in the sector for being uncool.
[2]
The pitch goes like this: you know how people in businesses are calling themselves rockstar this and that? Like rockstar developer, or rockstar accountant or rockstar, erm, marketing executive? Well, everyone has cottoned on to how stupid that sounds and what a terrible metaphor it is - no organisation can function if it employs preening, petulant, figureheads.
[3]
[4]
Workday's plan is to act like we know how dumb it is to constantly talk of rockstars. By hiring a load of rockstars.
Like who?
[5]
Like Ozzy Osbourne, Billy Idol, Joan Jett, blues player Gary Clark and Paul Stanley of the rock band Kiss. Basically, anyone badass enough to promote a corporate for cash.
Do we have the budget? We've just laid off [6]525 workers from our product and technology organization, but I'm sure we can find the money in our $5.14 billion [7]annual revenue .
"We know that using Workday for finance and HR makes you great at your job," says Stanley at one point during the fast-cut ad.
[8]
"But that don't make you a rockstar,” chips in Clark, butchering the English language along with any semblance of musical taste.
[9]YouTube Video
Actually, El Reg is not even sure using software makes anyone good at their job.
What's more, the argument might not work the way Workday think it does. Lou Reed worked for an accounting firm – his dad's – in the brief period between the collapse of the Velvet Underground and his solo career gathering steam. Joy Division's Ian Curtis was a civil servant. Art Garfunkel was a maths teacher. Most famously, [10]James Williamson of proto-punk legends The Stooges went on to become an electronic engineer, working as a designer for AMD and eventually being selected to receive ANSI's Ronald H. Brown Standards Leadership Award for his contributions to standards development. And don't forget our own [11]Rupert Goodwins from MIDI band Mensana.
[12]In praise of MIDI, tech's hidden gift to humanity
[13]McDonald's pulls plug on Wi-Fi, starts playing classical music to soothe yobs
[14]Of course U2 is one of Bill Gates' favorite bands
[15]Move over, Kraftwerk: These musical instruments really are the robots
Workday's ad at least pays due, if unintended, homage to one great artist: comedian Bill Hicks, whose famous [16]skit on marketing and advertising observed that chasing the "anti-marketing dollar" can be very good marketing. ®
Get our [17]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U10k1Cj5YpQ
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/saas&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Y@Z4NkjVNeDeUj5R7C-xrQAAAJA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/saas&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y@Z4NkjVNeDeUj5R7C-xrQAAAJA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/saas&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y@Z4NkjVNeDeUj5R7C-xrQAAAJA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/saas&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Y@Z4NkjVNeDeUj5R7C-xrQAAAJA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2023/02/01/paypal_job_cuts/
[7] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/workday-announces-fiscal-2022-fourth-quarter-and-full-year-financial-results-301491903.html
[8] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offprem/saas&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Y@Z4NkjVNeDeUj5R7C-xrQAAAJA&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[9] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ID-1mzRAew&t=3s&ab_channel=Workday
[10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Williamson_(musician)
[11] https://www.theregister.com/2022/12/19/in_praise_of_midi_techs/
[12] https://www.theregister.com/2022/12/19/in_praise_of_midi_techs/
[13] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/31/mcdonalds_classical_music/
[14] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/16/bill_gates_reddit_ama/
[15] https://www.theregister.com/2023/01/12/one_hacker_band/
[16] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9h9wStdPkQY
[17] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
"Satan's little helpers"
Perfect job title.
Rock star
It's interesting how besuited, Gucci-wearing so-called high-level executives want to be associated with what is commonly known as a depraved, drug and alcohol-filled lifestyle.
It's almost as if they have to compensate for their utter borishness by sprinkling glitter around.
Re: Rock star
It's interesting how besuited, Gucci-wearing so-called high-level executives want to be associated with what is commonly known as a depraved, drug and alcohol-filled lifestyle.
There's almost as much nose candy consumed in the marketing world as there is in rock and roll
Re: Rock star - not all are created equal
..scatter Glitter around.
Well he has just been released from prison, who wouldn't want to be associated with A Leader (of a Gang) [/s]
Re: Rock star
It's interesting how besuited, Gucci-wearing so-called high-level executives want to be associated with what is commonly known as a depraved, drug and alcohol-filled lifestyle.
Maybe they have learned this from politicians? Or more likely, they themselves are also depraved, drug and alchohol filled but jealous that they don't the perks of being a a real rock star?
Re: Rock star
"It's almost as if they have to compensate for their utter borishness by sprinkling glitter around."
Now there's a "rockstar" you don't want to be associated with your product....
Re: Rock star
Haven't you noticed how many besuited, Gucci-wearing so-called high-level executives are actually living a depraved, drug and alcohol-filled lifestyle?
Brian Cox
And don't forget Brian Cox (the Musician/Physicist one)
Re: Brian Cox
Don't know if he ever had a job in the field, but Mick Jagger studied finance and accounting at the London School of Economics.
Re: Brian Cox
> Mick Jagger studied finance and accounting
He quit when he realized that no matter how hard he worked he can't get no satisfaction
Re: Brian Cox
Also don't forget Brian May, the er, musician / astrophysicist one.... :-)
Why?
Why does software like Workday have a UI that my 12-year-old could do better in less than 30 minutes?
Re: Why?
My employer has been using it for a couple of years now. It is, indeed, terrible, but I actually like it because what we had before was even more terrible (a cobbled together combination of Lotus Notes applications, IBM mainframe applications in a terminal window, emailed PDFs. and actual paper.)
Re: Why?
I’ve discovered It’s an awful UI and not a great product now that I have to use it. Even my manager has said it’s not great but what we have to work with. I quite like the advert but then I wouldn’t rate Workday as a rockstar product (nor most if not all of the software I’ve used) and I’ve never called anyone at work a rockstar………Is this a US thing?
Re: Why?
Probably because today's programs "apps" were drawn after Marketing got a new box of crayons, coupled with the necessary short attention-span theater required to sell pretty much anything to ... OHHH! SHINEY!!!!
Whatever it is, there sure as hell isn't any design or engineering in any of it.
We know that using Workday makes you great at your job. But that don't make you a rockstar.
So consume tons of drink and drugs at work too, like we did, because that's what fuckin' rockstars do!
People who work in HR and marketing trying to be self-deprecating about calling themselves rockstars so trying to make fun of it in the worst possible way. The coloured pencil department strikes again.
In other news ...
Missing from this year's ads: crypto-anything, fake meat and Amazon.
Not sure what, if anything, that means.
Bill Hicks, who's famous skit on marketing and advertising
Brilliant!