Elephant in
the Room

Every organization has them: those unspoken challenges and critical disconnects in internal communications that feel too big to address. At Staffbase, we call them the "elephants in the room." In 2025, we decided to face them head-on.

As the art director on this campaign, I was responsible for developing the visual identity and creative direction across all channels — from the striking elephant visual system to the campaign's look and feel at events, in video ads, social media, and print collateral. The result was a bold, cohesive campaign that became the backbone of Staffbase's 2025 go-to-market strategy — and earned a Silver Award at the B2B Marketing Awards 2025 in the category Best Omni or Multichannel Programme.

The central creative challenge was to translate an abstract idea — the "elephant in the room" — into a visually bold, instantly recognizable system that could work across every format, from a conference stage to a LinkedIn ad.

The elephant became more than a metaphor: a custom illustrated mascot with a distinct personality, paired with a deep navy and neon palette that stood out in the enterprise SaaS landscape. The visual language was designed to feel both urgent and approachable — serious enough to resonate with C-suite comms leaders, engaging enough to stop the scroll.

The video ads were the campaign's most visible touchpoint. I art directed a series of performance videos featuring the elephant interrupting everyday internal comms scenarios — with provocative headlines like "But is your team getting the message?" and "So why leave your frontline in the dark?"

The results spoke for themselves: the Elephant video ads outperformed all previous Staffbase campaign videos in completion rates, particularly in North America, UK, and DACH.

The campaign came to life most powerfully at live events. At VOICES 2025 — Staffbase's flagship industry event — the elephant was everywhere: at the entrance, in footprints across the floor, on stage, and in every piece of printed material. The visual system translated seamlessly from screen to physical space.

At the Gartner Digital Workplace Summit in North America, a custom booth with branded t-shirts and an elephant mascot extended the campaign's reach into new audiences.

Across organic and paid social, the visual system scaled effortlessly — from carousel ads to LinkedIn posts, event invitations to swag. Consistent use of the elephant mascot, the campaign tagline "Address the elephant in the room," and the dark navy palette ensured immediate recognition at every touchpoint.