The old way of working is dead, says Upwork

Upwork, the US freelancing platform, had released a new campaign that focusses on the way we should be working rather then the old way of approaching things.

From the advent of electricity and automobiles to mobile phones and computers, humanity has always pushed forward when it recognises some entrenched facet of life is now obsolete, and this campaign, created by Alto New York, addresses what is arguably the biggest change in how we work since the invention of the assembly line. 

Called This is How We Work Now, the film states that the old ways of working are dead – quite literally – and encourages viewers to reinvent work so that it serves us all. The two-and-a-half-minute hero film [above], directed by Ivan Zacharias through SMUGGLER, opens in a traditional boardroom where an undead founder and CEO named Jack pops into the meeting to proclaim that he and the finance guy, Alan, made everything up: “These old ideas, working in an office, commuting, 9:00 to 5:00, Alan’s job. We all made it up! Right, Alan? So, what’s stopping you from making something better?” 

Alan and his still-living employees then embark on a musical journey where the current opportunities afforded to companies and their workers are put forward. Beyond the musical the campaign includes other spots, each with unique narratives in which Jack espouses many of the ways Upwork benefits business owners, in most cases as a body part falls off.  

“Most of us treat the old ways of working as if they are sacred and unchangeable, but the real insight behind this campaign is that the old ways of working were entirely made up," says Hannes Ciatti, Founder and CCO at Alto. "So, why don’t we as individuals make up something better? This campaign is making this point to the world for the first time - at least in terms of musicals with a dead person on the subject.” 

“What attracted me to this project was that it's such a ridiculous, over-the-top story, and yet it's based on a deep human truth," adds Zacharias. "We all feel an overwhelming pressure to follow the rules and traditions of the past, without realising we have the power to make up new rules, and new traditions. I’ve tried and failed. But honestly the main reason why I did it is, that I love shooting with dead people."