In first brand-centric campaign, Atlassian aims to make the impossible possible

Atlassian, founded in 2002, is a software company best known for its work management and collaboration products – like Jira, Trello, Confluence and others. While many of its products are well-known, Atlassian as a brand remains largely unknown, according to Stephen Root, head of brand at Atlassian.

Such is the reason why Atlassian decided to enlist creative agency Droga5 for the first time on ‘Impossible alone,’ a didactic campaign designed to educate professionals about the company behind the collaborative tools they use every day. “This campaign marks a very dramatic pivot in our marketing strategy. Atlassian was born 20 years ago and since its inauguration, it continues to be a product-led company,“ says Root. “However, many people who use our products on a day-to-day basis don’t know they are from the same company ... The more they know these products are from Atlassian, the better.“

The ‘Impossible alone’ campaign, which launched at Atlassian’s ’Team 23’ conference in Las Vegas last Monday, comprises four separate parts. The first is a brand film by the same title that outlines Atlassian’s ethos. “Our mission from day one has been to unlock the potential of teams [and] advance human collaboration,“ says Root. “We believe that collaboration and teamwork come together to solve the impossible and life’s biggest challenges… But, good work is impossible to do alone.”

Grounded at Atlassian’s Sydney, Australia headquarters, the film argues that every invention was once impossible – like the first space rovers and electric trucks. “Everything in this world requires collaboration,” the narrator says. “Teams of all sizes use our software … to power all kinds of projects. That’s how you make the impossible possible.”

‘Earworm Erasers,’ ‘Dreamkeepers’ and ‘Giving trees’

To further illustrate Atlassian’s core mission, the brand released a trio of engaging activations that achieve the impossible.

The first was ‘Earworm eraser,’ a 42-second audio track designed to get any song out of your head and “perfect palette cleanser,” according to Droga5 executive creative director Chris Colliton.

Jointly created by music psychologist Dr. Kelly Jakubowski, Squeak E. Clean Studios and visual artist Laura Jayne Hodkin, the dynamic track comes together into a cacophony of trumpets, distorted guitars and Gregorian chants. It’s currently running on Spotify until June 30.

Next was ‘Dreamkeeper,’ a microsite that uses artificial intelligence to solve another impossible problem: showing the dream you had last night to someone else. It was co-created with AI company Addition, front-end developer Buttermax and dream scientist Dr. Deirdre Barrett. Consumers can try it for themselves at https://thedreamkeeper.co.

“AI imagery is something that is moving very fast, so fast that a lot of people don’t know how to use platforms like Dall-E,“ says Kevin Weir, executive creative director at Droga5. “With this collaborative effort, everyone can access AI, take their dream input, and create a real, dreamlike scene.“

The final activation, ‘Giving trees,‘ is designed to, in a way, make money grow on trees. The trees, which were placed throughout the historic Battery Park in Manhattan, allow parkgoers to donate to the Sierra Club or Battery Park with a tap of their phone. It was created in collaboration between The Battery Conservancy, fintech company Stripe, and fabrication partner, Whatever Co.

“The Giving trees are a testament to the strong partnership between our teams at Atlassian and Stripe, and show how our platforms are bringing incredible ideas to life,” Amanda Clare, customer success manager at Stripe, said on Atlassian‘s website.

Campaign content will run across digital, social, out-of-home and audio until June 30. As for Atlassian‘s imminent future, Root says, the company is focusing on Atlassian Intelligence, an AI product that is currently in beta.

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