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'Zoom Ahead': Key Findings
Campaign Snapshot
Zoom’s new “Zoom Ahead” campaign throws shade at clunky tech and puts the spotlight squarely on workers who want tools that work.
Developed with Colin Jost’s No Notes Productions and starring Bowen Yang, the campaign is marked with a hero spot titled "I Use Zoom!" which will air during the U.S. College Football Playoffs on December 31.
It hopes to establish the company’s platform as the practical choice in a noise-filled collaborationmarket, especially with its newly refined AI companion.
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To give the ads an edge, they show the real frustrations workers have with overengineered tech to highlight Zoom’s simplicity and reliability.
“I Use Zoom! resonates with audiences because it humorously delivers a truth familiar to everyone: don’t give us bad tools when Zoom makes work easier,” said Kimberly Storin, CMO at Zoom.
“The ‘Zoom Ahead’ campaign marks the first time we’re officially using ‘Zoom’ as a verb in our advertising.
Beyond the spot, the campaign also teases a high-profile placement during the Super Bowl pre-show on February 8 and will run across digital, social, and experiential channels through Spring 2026.
Overall, Zoom’s campaign taps into that tension by elevating the everyday employee, with the line between work and life blurred.
In doing so, the campaign nudges Zoom beyond utility and toward relevance in everyday business life, which is something many enterprise software brands struggle to achieve.
"Of all the virtual meeting options, Zoom definitely has the best brand name. I’ve never said, 'Let’s do a Teams!'" said Colin Jost, founder of No Notes.
According to Gartner’s Voice of the Customer report, Zoom was recognized as a Customer’s Choice for unified communications.
And Zoom’s presence in both the UCaaS and CCaaS Magic Quadrants for 2025 is a sign that users prefer its platform among other choices.
Who Uses Zoom?
Directed by Mike Diva, "I Use Zoom!" the narrative dramatizes an uprising against clunky workplace tech.
Viewers are introduced to an evil IT manager (played by Yang), who tells his employees that he gets to choose what platform they use for their virtual meetings.
One by one, they revolt against his decision, declaring their preference for Zoom and its many AI-powered and user-friendly features.
It’s part satire, part catharsis, and part strategic messaging that Zoom’s all-in-one workplace suite aims to solve real pain points, from Meetings and Team Chat to Docs and AI Companion.
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The video call platform plans digital and social extensions that bring the theme to life in bite-sized moments aimed at professionals and business buyers alike.
Experiential activations in early 2026 will invite users to interact with the platform’s AI capabilities up close, building on the campaign’s core idea that great work starts with tools that listen to real needs.
What We Can Learn From Zoom’s Workplace Campaign
Zoom’s “Zoom Ahead” campaign features a fresh idea that understands its audience and their needs, turning product insights into a culturally-timed conversation.
Here, we learn:
- Humor can open doors in enterprise tech by making serious tools feel human and accessible.
- Strategic placements around major sporting events provide high-impact reach for brand stories beyond typical B2B buys.
- Bringing real user sentiment into creative work strengthens credibility and differentiates tech messaging from competitors’ feature-led campaigns.
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Other enterprise tech brands like Perplexity have also sought relatability through comedic and narrative-driven ads, tapping Lewis Hamilton and Eric Andre for its latest efforts.
It's a formula that works for tech giants with products that intimidate, using relatable stories to resonate with consumers.
Our Take: What is a Workplace Brand Today?
This campaign isn't just an ad buy but a declaration that work tools need personality and purpose.
In a world where every platform claims to make collaboration seamless, Zoom knows how to deliver more than that.
After all, true brand work isn’t just about features but about belonging in the daily rituals of work life.
"Zoom Ahead" taps into that by acknowledging pain points with a grin and offering a confident alternative.
In other news, OpenAI recently made an effort to showcase ChatGPT's daily use cases in its first-ever brand campaign for the AI platform.
Explore top creative agencies that turn sharp ideas into standout campaigns in our directory.
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