Leo Burnett Israel on Disrupting LinkedIn with 'Less Than Excited' Campaign for Kol Zchut
Leo Burnett and BBR Israel joined forces with the non-profit, benefits promoting organisation Kol Zchut to launch the 'Less Than Excited' campaign on LinkedIn.
Reimagining LinkedIn’s well-known 'Occasions' highlights, in which work anniversaries and comments are spotlighted, the initiative brings attention to workplace injustices that often go unspoken.
By introducing new, emotionally-charged 'Occasions' — spanning being laid off while pregnant to enduring toxic work environments — the campaign challenges the platform’s usual narrative of career successes and highlights the importance of recognising and addressing these difficult, yet significant, professional experiences.
LBB’s writer Olivia Atkins spoke with Leo Burnett Israel’s deputy CEO Nir Refua to discuss the importance of raising awareness of legal rights, thinking outside the box and making creative impact.
LBB> What was the brief that the client approached you with?
Nir> Kol Zchut wanted to raise awareness of employee and employer rights in Israel. As a collector of all legal rights, the organisation wanted to show the volume of injustices that take place in the workplace that don’t usually get shared or discussed on social media.
LBB> How did the idea for the campaign begin and what were the key inspirations behind using LinkedIn's 'Occasions' visual language to highlight workplace injustices?
Nir> The main reason we chose LinkedIn’s ‘Occasions’ identity is for two reasons – it’s known to many employees in our target group, but more importantly, people on LinkedIn do actively address and share their happy career moments by posting about promotions, new hires or projects, workplace anniversaries etc. But in real life, career events can also negatively impact you.
This tension struck a chord and we generated a lot of curiosity with creatives through the campaign which scored a high response worldwide. We definitely didn’t expect to resonate with so many - especially given that it was just a small social campaign banner.
LBB> What considerations did you have to think about to make the campaign suitable to LinkedIn? What challenges did you encounter while adapting to LinkedIn’s native platform identity for the campaign?
Nir> We had to understand LinkedIn's visual identity and be aware of what it currently lacks - an opportunity for people to express and for the platform to reflect their entire career trajectory. It was then about finding a suitable contradiction and turning traditionally positive visuals on their head.
LBB> How will the success of the 'Less than excited' campaign be measured? What metrics or feedback will be used to evaluate its effectiveness in raising awareness about workplace injustices and supporting individuals through Kol Zchut’s resources?
Nir> The campaign is currently running as paid media across LinkedIn and has already achieved a response rate that's 65% above average. We're still live, and I can share more detailed data tomorrow.
