Zoom, a name synonymous with video conferencing, is facing a unique challenge: widespread recognition without a full understanding of its evolving capabilities. While nearly everyone knows of Zoom, many are unaware of the breadth of its offerings beyond the core meeting platform. This realization, uncovered by new Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Kimberly Storin upon joining the company in April 2025, sparked a new marketing strategy centered around empowering users and highlighting the platform’s often-overlooked features. The campaign, dubbed “Zoom Ahead,” leans heavily into humor, a deliberate choice designed to cut through the noise and resonate with a workforce increasingly reliant on digital communication.
Storin, who previously spent years as a financial analyst before transitioning to marketing, quickly identified a strong affinity for Zoom among its users. “Before I started at Zoom, I talked to about 50 of the company’s customers,” she explained. “Those customers told me, over and over again, about their affinity for the platform.” Digging deeper into online conversations on platforms like Reddit and social media, she discovered a consistent theme: users simply preferred Zoom. This organic enthusiasm, she believed, was a powerful foundation for a new brand narrative. The goal wasn’t just to promote Zoom, but to amplify the voices of its passionate user base.
The “Zoom Ahead” campaign launched with a commercial created by No Notes Productions, the production company founded by Colin Jost of Saturday Night Live fame, and starring former SNL cast member Bowen Yang. The spot depicts a comically tyrannical IT head rendered powerless as employees openly celebrate their preference for Zoom.
The commercial, available on Zoom’s newsroom, is a playful jab at the often-restrictive policies imposed by IT departments, positioning Zoom as the user-preferred solution.
The campaign extended beyond digital advertising with a real-world activation: a “Hard Stop Burger Shop” pop-up in New York City on March 26-27. This initiative was directly informed by research conducted with Morning Consult, which revealed a concerning trend: many workers are skipping breaks or eating lunch at their desks. The pop-up aimed to encourage employees to prioritize well-being and reclaim their downtime, subtly reinforcing Zoom’s role in facilitating a more balanced perform life.
The Challenge of Ubiquity
Storin acknowledges that Zoom’s widespread recognition presents a unique marketing hurdle. “The biggest challenge Zoom has is that we are a ubiquitous brand. We have 99% brand awareness, which is a bit of a double-edged sword,” she said. While high awareness is generally desirable, it doesn’t necessarily translate into a comprehensive understanding of the platform’s full capabilities. Many users remain unaware of Zoom’s expanding portfolio, which now includes customer support, marketing, recruiting, and sales platforms.
The decision to embrace humor in the “Zoom Ahead” campaign wasn’t taken lightly. Storin emphasized the importance of partnering with experts who understood the nuances of comedy. “Humor is hard for a brand,” she explained. “To get humor right really requires people who understand comedy, who understand how humor can play a role in communication.” Jost and his team at No Notes Productions were chosen for their ability to tap into the cultural zeitgeist and deliver messaging in a way that a more conventional advertisement couldn’t.
“Dead Poets Society” Meets “Severance”
The creative process involved exploring numerous concepts, some more outlandish than others. The team landed on an idea they described as “Dead Poets Society” meets “Severance”—a blend of inspiring rebellion and subtle workplace satire. “Some of it was outrageous. Some of it was formulaic in terms of leveraging a celebrity,” Storin said. “Where we ended up landing…was this idea that just really worked.” The resulting campaign aims to encourage users to openly advocate for the tools they love, even if it means challenging established norms.
AI Companion: A Key Focus
Beyond the humorous advertising, Storin is particularly enthusiastic about Zoom’s AI Companion, a feature she describes as a game-changer. “I don’t know how many folks are familiar with our AI Companion, but that is absolutely my favorite tool,” she stated. Unlike general-purpose large language models (LLMs) like ChatGPT or Claude, which primarily analyze external data, the AI Companion leverages the content of Zoom meetings themselves. “You can pull in all your meetings,” Storin explained. “At the click of a button, you can build an agent that effectively taps into all of the conversations that you’ve had and is able to leverage those conversations to help you build a strategy or to help you build messaging.”
The potential applications of this technology are vast, offering executives a powerful way to extract insights from internal communications. Storin even shared a lighthearted anecdote about the AI Companion’s gesture recognition feature, admitting to occasionally receiving automated thumbs-up notifications at inopportune moments due to her enthusiastic hand gestures during meetings.
Zoom’s “Zoom Ahead” campaign represents a strategic shift, moving beyond simply promoting a product to fostering a community of passionate users. By embracing humor and highlighting its often-overlooked features, Zoom aims to solidify its position as a leader in the evolving landscape of digital communication. The company will continue to monitor campaign performance and user feedback, with the next major update on campaign results expected during their next quarterly earnings call in late May 2025.
What are your thoughts on Zoom’s new campaign? Share your experiences and opinions in the comments below.
