Workday puts rock stars in suits to promote AI agents that do entire jobs

Workday’s latest marketing campaign humorously bridges the gap between rock and roll stardom and corporate success through AI innovation. Featuring music legends Gwen Stefani, Paul Stanley, and Billy Idol in business attire attempting to navigate office life, the campaign highlights how Workday’s role-based AI agents are transforming workplace productivity. This creative approach underscores a key differentiator in the competitive AI marketplace: while most competitors offer task-specific automation, Workday’s agents can perform hundreds of tasks across entire job functions.

The big picture: Workday has launched a new “Rock Star” campaign featuring music icons uncomfortably trying their hand at corporate life while promoting the company’s role-based AI agents.

• The campaign includes two TV commercials titled “Carmen the Rock Star” and “Goodnight Rock Stars” premiering during The Masters tournament from April 7-13.
• The ads feature Gwen Stefani, Paul Stanley, and Billy Idol trading their rock and roll personas for corporate attire and awkwardly attempting to function in an office environment.

Key differentiation: Workday emphasizes that its AI agents go beyond the task-based automation typically seen in the market today.

• While competitors often offer agents that follow specific instructions for repetitive single tasks, Workday’s role-based agents contain configurable “skills” sets that can perform hundreds of individual tasks.
• These agents are designed to streamline entire processes across particular jobs or roles, allowing human employees to focus on more strategic work.

What they’re saying: The rock stars humorously resist the notion that corporate workers using AI could be considered the “rock stars” of the business world.

• Gwen Stefani quips, “You think AI agents can handle your tasks? Watch me handle my agent!”
• Paul Stanley remarks, “So you corporate types think you’re rock stars? That’s as ridiculous as us being corporate types! When your weekend routine involves smashing guitars on stage, a boring office job just doesn’t compare…”
• Billy Idol adds, “You think that using AI to help you get work done is challenging the status quo? How about trashing hotel rooms?!”

Product lineup: Workday has previously announced several role-based agents designed for specific business functions.

• The existing agent portfolio includes specialized tools for Contracts, Payroll, Financial Auditing, Policy, Recruiting, Talent Mobility, Succession, and Optimization.