Notion
Notion's mission is to make software toolmaking ubiquitous. To achieve that goal, they created a tool with the flexibility for users to take on whatever is most important to them—from raising a child to raising a startup. To solidify their position among growing tech companies, we developed their first international brand campaign, "For Your Life's Work,” proving that Notion was made for both work and life.
Putting the work into work/life balance
To expand our scope and reach out to professional decision-makers, growing tech companies, and larger businesses to show how Notion can fit into their work lives, we needed to try a new tactic. So we set out to go beyond conventional customer testimonial-type marketing, telling emotionally resonant stories about individuals working toward their goals—in life and at work. Our mission was to tap into culture and our global reach to find human and relatable (but interesting) stories that we haven’t seen or heard before.
Tech that’s true to life
When we close our eyes, we can all imagine what a tech company looks, feels, and sounds like. There’s a homogenous feel to the ways they show up in the world. As a product, Notion is different from the norm. More tactile, more responsive to a user’s needs, and more down-to-earth. To break through, we needed to create a marketing campaign that could stand out in a crowded category.
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We built out three stories from concept development, script writing, and art direction. This set the vision and tone for the global campaign.
We were able to capture three distinct locations that represented our key global markets during production in LA.
We partnered closely with a director, photographer, set designer, and stylist to bring each story to life.
In-house editors, motion designers, composers, retouchers, and designers worked together to capture footage and images that would become “For Your Life’s Work.”
To stay true to the spirit of the product, we focused our storytelling on the human value of Notion rather than the product benefits. We hoped to not just show the value, but ultimately, to make people feel it—and want to experience it for themselves.
Building the system
We developed a simple but scalable design system based on Notion's brand identity. To ensure every activation within the platform was unified, we created a consistent set of abstracted UI ingredients to punctuate each story, being mindful to blend an equal mix of work and life.
Taking a multi-media approach
To meet our audience where they live (and work), we produced out-of-home experiences and campaign touchpoints in major markets throughout the US, UK, Korea, and Japan. Takeovers spanned across print, digital billboards, kiosks, metro, connected TV, and all over social media. These weren't just American stories translated and recreated across multiple regions, but messaging tailored to the unique needs and experiences of each market.
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I'm so grateful to the Instrument team for bringing such heart, energy and flexibility to help tell our story at such a pivotal time for Notion. It's awesome to keep getting pings from friends in Europe seeing our work out in the wild and additionally the billion people globally who will see this work.
The future of work starts here
As the campaign rolled out globally, audiences immediately took notice. The conversational tone of the work and relatable stories of everyday individuals working toward their goals resonated with audiences so much, we even received a few fan-made spinoffs.
Ultimately, “For Your Life’s Work” put Notion front and center in the cultural conversation, inspiring a new view on work and life for new audiences and loyal fans, like us at Instrument, alike.
Explore more from Notion here.
Our Roles
Design
- Art Direction
- Visual Design
- Creative Direction
- Motion Design
- Design Guidelines
Strategy
- Integrated Marketing Strategy
- Social Strategy
- Content Strategy
- Audience Research
- Launch Planning
Content
- Story Research
- Editorial Writing
- Copywriting
- Motion Video Direction
- Motion Video Production
- Post Production
- Sound Design
- Music Production