Within the first main marketing campaign for cloud-based commerce platform Commercetools, Arrested Improvement actor Will Arnett personifies a legacy commerce platform that’s unwilling to adapt to trendy calls for – to the dismay and annoyance of a complete staff. In a brainstorming assembly about rethinking commerce, Arnett interrupts continuously, mocks the idea of shoppable social, shoots down the concept of gaming app integration on the premise that he doesn’t need “a bunch of nerds shopping for our stuff” and rubs everybody the mistaken approach together with his obstinacy.

It’s a playful approach for Commercetools to poke enjoyable at its larger, older rivals together with Salesforce, Oracle and Adobe, suggesting that its platform is better-poised to satisfy the wants of an evolving commerce panorama. The model is on a mission to persuade companies that these big-name manufacturers aren’t as trendy as they’d have everybody assume (Salesforce, as an example, poo-pooed the metaverse in its latest Tremendous Bowl spot). Commercetools argues that its API, microservices, cloud infrastructure and headless-based tech set it aside as extra trendy and adaptable than these legacy suppliers – however extra technologically superior and customizable than Shopify.

“We hear on a regular basis from our clients that their legacy platforms may by no means sustain with the concepts they’d for creating the cutting-edge e-commerce experiences their very own clients needed, and that now, with the assistance of Commercetools, these experiences are a actuality,” explains Jen Jones, the corporate’s chief advertising and marketing officer. “So when pondering by means of this marketing campaign, the dichotomy of ‘no’ versus ‘sure’ actually felt prefer it hit the mark with what we hear from our clients and what we’ve got down to accomplish with our know-how.”

The worldwide marketing campaign, created in partnership with B2B company Walker Sands, gives a up to date, refreshing tackle B2B messaging, which has traditionally been chilly and easy. And it provides to a rising pattern; with B2B advert spend set to go $30bn by subsequent 12 months, manufacturers within the area are more and more investing in additional historically B2C-style inventive methods and promoting on extra consumer-facing channels. And plenty of gamers are adopting an analogous strategy to Commercetools: Arnett joins a rising lineup of A-listers to go up B2B model campaigns in latest months. The Tremendous Bowl noticed Zendaya entrance a Squarespace spot, DJ Khalid make a cameo in Intuit Quickbooks’ advert and Matthew McConaughey play a rhyming aeronaut in Salesforce’s marketing campaign.

“The cost was to boldly differentiate the model from its big-name rivals, so our inventive strategy did too,” says Ann Hagner, vice-president and artistic director at Walker Sands. “We deserted the B2B playbook, ditched technical jargon and tapped Will Arnett to play the jerk within the room, bringing each credibility to the model and discuss worth to the marketing campaign.”

Jones says she’s happy with the ultimate product. “We knew that Will Arnett’s iconic voice and magnificence of humor would create a super portrayal of ‘the naysayer,’ representing the dated e-commerce options which can be holding manufacturers again,” Jones says. “The ultimate [spot] conveys that know-how needs to be an enabler, not an inhibitor.”

“We all know that B2B know-how could be advanced and dry, so our objective was to convey humor and lightheartedness to the message, which embodies our firm tradition as nicely,” she provides.

The brand new initiative debuts globally by way of video, digital, social and out-of-home (OOH) channels beginning this week, with further activations to roll out all year long. The marketing campaign may even make appearances at main trade occasions all over the world, together with OMR 2022 in Hamburg, Shoptalk Europe in London and K5 in Berlin.

The hassle may assist drive new enterprise for Munich-based Commercetools, which, presently valued at practically $2bn, counts Ulta and Lululemon amongst its purchasers.

For extra, join The Drum’s every day US e-newsletter right here.