Sacrificing a printer, freaking out in the office, or yelling at a pizza delivery guy won’t solve your productivity problems. That’s the humorous new concept of a campaign for SAS, the data and AI solutions company.
Independent agency Guesthouse has now launched its first campaign for its new client, SAS. The global work promotes SAS Viya with the tag, “From data to ta-da,” an extension of the brand’s earlier “Get more done” campaign.
The new campaign is running across digital and CTV platforms, with five social videos set to run across North America, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Guesthouse co-founder and creative director Wes Whitener directed the spots.
If B2B software ads rarely inspire laughter, Guesthouse leaned into the opposite.
“The team at SAS shares our philosophy that no one likes advertising—especially in the dry B2B software space—but they do like things that entertain them,” said Mitch Bennett, co-founder and creative director at Guesthouse. “From the first meeting, the SAS team pushed for the funniest, most ritual-sacrifice-y concepts.”
Real-life office chaos, with a twist
Each spot takes on the small dramas of office life. In one, a team dreading an all-nighter discovers that SAS Viya has already solved their problem—just as pizzas arrive, much to the confusion of the delivery guy.
In another, a group of colleagues in hooded robes prepares a ritual sacrifice of a printer to get insights, only to be interrupted by someone who already used Viya to finish the job.
A third spot shows how some people will panic even when everything is under control.
For SAS, the goal was to shift the message from data overload to data clarity.
“We want people to think, ‘SAS Viya can help me get more done,’” said Anson Burtch, brand strategist at SAS.
There are also social spots, including one with an intrusive jingle.
According to Shawn Gillen, creative brand strategist at SAS, Guesthouse quickly understood how to distill the product’s story into relatable, funny moments. “From day one Guesthouse really understood the project, really understood what we do, and helped distill it down to the essence of the story we were trying to tell,” Gillen said.
Guesthouse was awarded the SAS Viya business in May, with this campaign marking its first global effort for the client.
See all the work here.
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