WeWork is running a major ad campaign in print newspapers in a dozen markets starting Friday as the embattled office company tries to win back confidence.
The campaign kicks off with Friday ads in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and The Financial Times, with more papers to follow Saturday, a source with knowledge of the project said. The campaign, which costs a few hundred thousand dollars, is intended to portray WeWork as forward-thinking and customer-centric.
The full ad is reprinted at the bottom of this story.
"The ad is a reminder to the members, companies, landlords, and brokers we work with that WeWork is here with the same mission to support our members' growth and success, and with renewed resolve, a strong foundation, significant scale, and absolute commitment to serving our member and partner needs," a WeWork representative said in a statement to Business Insider.
As a source who saw the ad firsthand told Business Insider the day before the launch, its copy characterizes WeWork as a company "on the move." Another person said WeWork handled media-buying strategy for the campaign internally. Omnicom's PHD is WeWork's media agency of record.
The ad also highlights WeWork's footprint. On Thursday, the company said it notched a monthly record number of new buildings opening — 52 in the first five days of December, with more planned before year-end. It now has 625 locations, with more fast growth planned for next year.
The campaign marks the first major publicity effort for Maurice Levy, the company's interim chief marketing officer, who officially joined two weeks ago, along with three other executives. He's also the chairman of Publicis Groupe, which did the creative. Levy previously worked with WeWork's chairman, Marcelo Claure, when Claure was the CEO of Sprint, a major Publicis customer until Levy stepped down as CEO of the ad conglomerate.
A representative for the Paris-based Publicis Groupe could not immediately be reached for comment.
In October, one of the company's ads was derided for being tone deaf, Business Insider previously reported. At the time, the company had at least one promoted ad on LinkedIn offering to advise employers on how to reinvigorate "lagging team morale." Former WeWork employees have called out the startup for its chaotic company culture, which involved partying, long workdays, and high turnover.
Two weeks ago, the company started major layoffs in the US, which are ultimately expected to claim about 2,400 jobs globally. On Wednesday, former employees told Business Insider they were moving on with networking events and other efforts.
See the full ad below.
