Workday’s ‘A Partner Like No Other’ Global Brand Campaign: Q&A with Chief Marketing Officer Christine Cefalo

(Updated February 25, 2022: Workday and Phil Mickelson have mutually and amicably agreed to not renew our brand partnership when our contract is up in March.)

This week, Workday launched a new global brand campaign centered on how we’re a finance, HR, and planning partner like no other.

At the heart of the campaign is a commercial featuring pro golfer Phil Mickelson serving as a “business caddie” for a company executive, played by actor Andy Buckley, best known for his role as Dunder Mifflin’s CFO in the American comedy series “The Office.” The commercial is being broadcast on U.S. and European television channels this week, including during the golf tournament in Paris, France, where our Workday golf ambassadors, Phil Mickelson, Matt Kuchar, and Davis Love III, are part of the team.

We interviewed Workday Chief Marketing Officer Christine Cefalo to learn how the campaign came to life, why every company needs a “business caddie,” and where to experience the campaign across the globe.

Why did we choose to emphasize that Workday is a partner like no other in our new brand campaign?

Through our own research and conversations with customers and prospective customers, we know that trust tops the list of what people and organizations look for in a vendor. This really hits home for us, because we believe this is one of our greatest strengths. A trusted vendor means being there for our customers through the highs and lows, and helping them make the best decisions to grow and succeed. In short, it means being a partner like no other.

Our core values also played a big role in this campaign. We were founded on a set of six core values that drive our business behavior and define our company’s culture. I believe strongly that culture drives brand, and I love any opportunity to showcase our values through our branding. While this campaign spotlights integrity, we also aimed to bring several other of our core values to life, including customer service, innovation, and fun.

Phil Michelson plays a "business caddie" in the commercial, providing insights and guidance to an executive. He even gives advice on things the executive doesn't know about yet. How did this idea come about?

We had so much fun doing the commercial with Phil; he made a great business caddie! And Phil and other golf pros know that your caddie truly is your partner like no other. Caddies do so much more than carry the bag. Their job is to know the course and help their golfers develop the best strategy for playing it. Caddies can see and predict obstacles and opportunities ahead of time, and advise their golfers on how to avoid or take advantage of them.

At Workday, we’re the business version of your caddie, just like Phil plays in the commercial. The business caddie gives the executive information he didn’t previously have so he can make the best decisions. When we think about how to innovate at Workday, and where and when to make investments and acquisitions—including our recent acquisition of Adaptive Insights as a Workday company—we’re always driving toward the goal of helping our customers stay ahead. Using predictive technologies, we can deliver the information you need to make critical finance, HR, and planning decisions before you have to ask for it—maybe even before you know you need it. That’s what every organization should have in a software and services partner—a company you can trust, and a system that knows you and your business.

How will the campaign roll out globally?

It starts with the launch of our television commercial featuring Phil and Andy during the golf tournament taking place in Paris this week. (Workday is the official supplier of software in Europe for the 2018 Ryder Cup.) If you’re in Japan, you’ll experience the campaign across digital and print platforms, including in subway stations. Worldwide, you’ll find the campaign running in local languages across digital, print, and social channels and in markets including Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, and the U.S.

One more thing I’d like to add is I’m incredibly proud of everyone’s work on this campaign—our Vice President of Marketing Angela Stark, Executive Creative Director Gene Bordegaray, and many others across our internal and agency marketing teams who brought their talent and tremendous passion to this campaign.

Any parting thoughts?

Yes! We can’t wait to join the rest of the Workday community at Workday Rising next week in Las Vegas. We have many exciting announcements to share, including new things we’re doing to help our customers make the best decisions for finance, HR, and planning and how we’ll continue to earn their trust as a partner like no other.