SMB Matters

Celebrating the Unsung Heroes TriNet Launches People Matter Campaign

May 9, 2019 · 5 min read

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Michael Mendenhall is Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer/Chief Communications Officer at TriNet.

TriNet Launches People Matter Campaign

Small and medium size businesses (SMBs) are the backbone of the American economy. They comprise more than 99% of businesses and produce nearly half of the U.S. GDP. They represent the deeply rooted entrepreneurial spirit of the American dream and they push the boundaries of hard work and innovation. So, in celebration of National Small Business Week, we want to acknowledge these businesses and the people working behind the scenes to drive their missions.

The people running and working for these businesses take risks. They make personal and professional sacrifices to achieve their goals. They are the innovators, the problem-solvers and the unsung heroes of this nation. They wake up at the crack of dawn, push barriers and beat the odds. There is no better time than now to recognize their contributions and celebrate their mission.

These People are Important. These People Matter.

On April 9th, we proudly unveiled our People Matter campaign. This campaign salutes the entrepreneurs, the people who work at these companies and who unite around a common goal–creating an impact. These people positively impact our world and improve our society—finding cures for diseases, revitalizing communities, supporting the less fortunate, protecting the planet and building new technologies to enhance our lives.

For example, after learning that socks are the most requested clothing item at homeless shelters, Aaron Wolk, Randy Goldberg, David Heath and Andrew Heath founded Bombas with the mission to donate a pair of socks for every pair that they sold. In total, they have donated nearly twenty million socks to those in need.

At the heart of our campaign and our brand are our incredible customers that continue to challenge the status quo and raise the bar. To bring our vision to life and to celebrate the people of SMBs, we collaborated with acknowledged artists to showcase these driven and hardworking people.

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More About the People Matter Campaign.

World-renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz teamed up with us to capture the true, authentic spirit of our customers and their employees. She produced incredible black and white photographs focused on these intrepid, hardworking people. These people juggle the day-to-day needs of their families, friends and so much more. It was important for us to spotlight the people behind the scenes and honor them for their dedication and grit.

The New York Times T Brand Studio, with their unparalleled expertise, shot short docu-style videos highlighting the relationships and culture between the people dedicating their lives to a shared mission. Through the reading of a moving letter written by Dia&Co employees to the founders, we captured the raw, unfiltered sentiment for the mission that binds them together.

Founded in 2014 by Harvard Business School classmates Nadia Boujarwah and Lydia Gilbert, Dia&Co is a clothing subscription service exclusively for women who wear sizes 14+. Nadia and Gilbert saw a need – to not only create attractive plus-size women’s apparel – but to employ personal stylists aimed at fostering a rewarding and reaffirming experience for every customer they serve. Dia&Co has grown significantly since their launch five years ago due to the perseverance and commitment of its founders and employees.

Dia&Co’s CEO and co-founder, Nadia Boujarwah, reads a letter from members of her team on Dia’s mission and what it means to them.

Other customers featured in the campaign include: Aaptiv, ALOHA, Brompton Bicycle, Candlebrook Properties, FanDuel, Hot Bread Kitchen, Jericho Project, Knotch, and Lazar Partners.

Our omnichannel campaign also includes creative collaboration with additional distinguished artists encompasses TV, radio, out-of-home (OOH), digital and a take over of Grand Central Station in New York City.

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A series of docu-style TV commercials, directed by Katina Mercadante, partner at The Mercadantes, also tell authentic stories of real people working at these businesses, capturing emotion in a nuanced and personal way. We also brought on additional digital innovative and creative studio yU+co, which created a lot of the digital work for the campaign as well as a short film directed by Adrian Yu.

We launched our digital magazine, “Incredible Now,” which provides perspectives and data relevant to today’s workforce. Another key element of our brand campaign has been the complete redesign of TriNet’s website to deliver a dynamic user experience for mobile and desktop. Sarah Mehler, founder and CEO and Akash Khoka, COO of the world-class digital experience agency, Left Field Labs, helped lead the redesign with their dynamic team.

What’s Next?

Our People Matter campaign is the evolution of TriNet brand under the recently launched “Incredible Starts Here” brand. Through TriNet’s HR solutions we empower SMBs to focus on what matters by providing access to human capital expertise, benefits, risk mitigation, compliance, payroll and real-time technology—all so they can focus on their mission.

And we are not done. Our work has just started, and we welcome you and other SMBs to join us and spotlight the heroes of this nation. Join the #YourPeopleMatter movement.

By Michael Mendenhall

Michael Mendenhall is Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer/Chief Communications Officer at TriNet.