Sometimes an unconventional approach is exactly what’s needed.
Consider our latest brand/demand advertising campaign. As the margin multiplier company and definitive leader in AI-driven Total Spend Management, we have a very powerful B2B story to tell. But that story isn’t easy to tell in just a few words.
We needed a simple, relatable way to tell our story so that people would get it instantly. And in the words of our CEO, we had to get rid of the “B2B ick.”
Here’s how we did just that.
Making it count, in seconds
Most ads for software companies don’t exactly stand out. Imagine walking through the airport in San Francisco, for example. All those ads for tech companies just kind of morph together like sleepy business wallpaper. You might say a well-intentioned strategy but a questionable advertising investment? If this type of work gets actually noticed, it often lacks the capability to really spark a conversation.
As we thought through the Coupa marketing challenge, we knew the campaign had to be smart. A quick get. We needed the type of creativity that even a distracted executive would take notice of in a busy airport. We needed the right concept to give people pause. Smart, yes, but also a little bit edgy and in your face.
We also needed it to be memorable. We sought an idea that would catalyze an everyday catch phrase for customers, partners, and Coupa employees to speak akin to some of the word’s most memorable work. Who hasn’t said “Can You Hear Me Now” on a recent phone call? We looked to an idea that could become iconic to the business world. If we only have a few seconds, we need those seconds to count.
With Coupa you can … Mind Your Business
No surprise then, that we leaned into the unconventional and the answer came in the form of a consumer-style brand campaign. It’s called Mind Your Business. As in, wait, what did you say? Mind my what???
That’s exactly the point. Then, from that edgy directive, we quickly pivot to show how Coupa allows you to mind your business more efficiently. More effectively. More sustainably. More profitably.
Mind Your Business is about what you can achieve when you pay attention to your business. When you lean into AI-driven tools to help you manage direct and indirect spend with prescriptive insights. Or unlock hidden savings and improve your margins to drive durable, profitable growth.
We are not “telling” our audiences to mind their business, but rather “asking” them to mind their business with Coupa based on issues that are likely important to the needs of their business.
Mind Your Business serves as a double entendre. Leaders across procurement, finance, supply chain, and IT can be sure that they have the right information, insights, and AI-driven recommendations at their fingertips to reduce costs, proactively manage supplier risk, build an adaptive supply chain, boost employee productivity, and drive profitable growth to optimize margins through Coupa.
Mind Your Business is a simple phrase with so many wonderful opportunities nested within.
One more step in the brand journey
To those who follow Coupa, you’ve taken stock in our recent repositioning as the margin multiplier company and our rebranding with our supporting tagline Make Margins MultiplyTM.
You may have also noticed a deliberate confidence shown through our diSAPointed ad on the Sphere in Las Vegas during SAP’s recent Spend Connect conference. The bottom line is, we have an amazing story to tell and we’re not shy when it comes to advertising.
The Mind Your Business brand campaign is no different. It shifts the conversation from abstract business jargon to real, tangible results and outcomes, like how our AI-driven platform transforms spend management to change the way companies operate. A new level of clarity and solution that empowers decision-makers to take bold action.
Our brand campaign intentionally reflects that boldness.
Introducing the Coupa Mind-It-All
When customers run on Coupa to help them mind their business, it’s like having a helpful, all-knowing confidant at their beck-and-call, whispering exactly what they need to know in their ear.
That’s the power of Coupa’s AI and our AI agent at work and why we introduced the Coupa Mind-It-All in our TV advertising.
Our Coupa Mind-It-All characters represent in a fun way the power of AI-driven Total Spend Management technology from Coupa at the moment the power of information and insight is critical. As you can see from the spots, moments matter.
Where to see us
Over the next few months, you’ll see Coupa’s Mind Your Business campaign rolling out to global markets and channels around the world. But, this is just the beginning.
Here are some of the places you can catch us:
- Broadcast TV media in the U.S. and U.K. on CNBC
- Print and digital advertising in key business publications such as the Wall Street Journal and Financial Times
- Digital advertising and audience-based content in targeted CIO and CFO industry media
- Industry podcast sponsorships
- Out-of-home advertising and radio in key markets
Mind Your Business is everywhere
Developing this brand, this campaign, and supporting the many activities required to elevate the Coupa brand around the world has been truly a team endeavor, including dozens of creative, hard-working Coupa marketers as well as our talented agency partners, including Little Big Engine, Bluetext, and Mindstream Media Group.
We hope you enjoy the campaign. And remember — with Coupa you can Mind Your Business like nobody’s business.
