Spend management platform Pleo celebrates the skill of financial decision-makers
For everyone for whom a glass half full is 52.34% full.
Together with its new lead creative agency Scholz & Friends, Pleo has launched its first major pan-European brand campaign. Under the central theme "For the craft of finance", the campaign puts CFOs and their finance teams in the spotlight as strategic decision-makers – and tells the story of how the skill and mastery of the finance department fuels company success.
Financial decision-makers today are more vital to growth than ever before: they think strategically, manage risks, and unlock new potential for growth and efficiency. Yet this proactive role is rarely reflected in how CFOs and their teams are perceived. Both within companies and in the public eye, the image of a pure control body remains: a department of blockers and nay-sayers. When budgets are cut, Finance is to blame. When things go well, someone else gets the credit. So far, so wrong.
The creative idea: An ode to the “craft of finance” and those who master it
This is exactly where the new positioning comes in, introduced by Pleo as part of its brand relaunch and translated for the first time into an international campaign by Scholz & Friends: Finance is a "craft" – a discipline that demands high precision, judgment, and foresight. And Pleo is the spend management solution that helps the finance departments of tens of thousands of companies across Europe focus on strategic analysis instead of chasing scattered, incomplete data.
Carly Drew, Director Brand Marketing & Content, Pleo:
“Even the best finance tool doesn't render the people who work with it obsolete. On the contrary. Human performance is becoming increasingly important because there is now more time left for the decisive part of the work: steering processes with vision. That’s why we are shifting perspectives in this campaign. The tool isn't the hero—the people who work with it are.”
At the center are films and visual motifs that reflect this understanding of craft: in their confident attitude, unconventional visual language, and meticulously detailed execution. The centerpiece of the campaign is dedicated to the unsung heroes behind so much business success: an ode to the craft of finance.
Robert Krause, Creative Managing Director at Scholz & Friends:
“For us, it started with a fresh look at the finance department. Because when you look closer, instead of outdated clichés and staged stock photography, you discover a deeply fascinating group of people to whom precision, clarity, and efficiency matter above all else.”
From London to Berlin – the largest surface at Piccadilly Circus
The campaign is running across several European countries with a focus on key markets in the UK and Germany. In addition to moving image and print ads across digital and social channels, "For the craft of finance" is present at landmark locations from London to Berlin. The most prominent location: Piccadilly Circus in London.
This placement was chosen deliberately. It makes visible that Pleo has undergone a noticeable transformation: from an expense solution primarily for startups to a spend management platform for a wide range of companies, from SMEs to mid-market enterprises. And that a brand idea has turned into a stance: viewing finance as a craft and supporting CFOs and their teams in fully realizing their potential.
Credits
Client: Pleo
Carly Drew (Director Brand Marketing & Content), Amanda Calvo (Brand Strategy), Harriet Lyle (Senior Integrated Marketing Manager), Sidney Lim (Brand Design), Phil Monks (Senior Copywriter)
Agency: Scholz & Friends Berlin
Creation: Robert Krause (Managing Director Creation), Philipp Weber (CD Art), Felix John (CD Copy), Wulf Rechtacek (CD Art), Chiara Astuti (AD), Philipp Wöhler (Copywriter)
Account Management: Lisa Erdmann (Managing Director Account Management), Salvatore Amato (Management Supervisor), Julia Henert (Account Management)
Strategy: Julian Schmitz (Strategy Director), Yacoub Chakary (Digital Strategist), Floris Herbing (Strategy)
Production / FFF: Nele Siegl (Head of TV)
Motion Production: Jürgen Krugsperger (Head of Motion), Sebastian Schlattmann (Senior Motion Designer), Krystian-Julian Zabuski (Motion Design)
Music Supervision: Yannick Sahlmen (Senior Music Consultant)
Production: WPP Production
Final Artwork: Carola Georgi, Katrin Kattanek
Programming: Rocco Benditz
Media: Syzygy
Matt Brown (Managing Director), Benjamin Pearton (Director of Strategy), Saskia Finlay (Lead Paid Media), Caitlin Breheny (Senior Manager Paid Media)
Film Production: Czar Film GmbH
Director: Adam Hashemi
DOP: Paul Özgür
Producer: Jan Fincke (Executive Producer), Julia Weber (Line Producer)
Postproduction: Michel Hoffmanns (Post-Producer)