• by Larissa Faw , April 27, 2021

ServiceNow is entering the world of Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory as part of a new campaign to promote its B2B workflows solutions.

The team on the campaign, developed by BBDO, worked closely with Warner Brothers, the Roald Dahl Estate, and Framestore to ensure Wonka’s character remained as authentic as possible as he was updated for 2021.

The creative dives into Wonka’s Factory by introducing the iconic character and his new “Chief Reality Officer” identified as “Maxine,” a workflow specialist who is upgrading Wonka’s output thanks to ServiceNow technology. She is also excited to be singlehandedly doubling Wonka’s C-suite.

This creative direction was a natural way of making a business-specific subject relatable and understandable, said Kate Catalinac, creative director/copywriter, BBDO San Francisco. “We brainstormed a list of businesses, both real and imaginary, but none were as iconic as Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. We love that his challenges are so unique, and his process is so secretive because it gives us the chance to prove that if workflows have the power to transform a business as complex as his, they can do the same for yours.”

Working with Warner Brothers’ and Dahl’s Wonka team lengthened the development process, “in a good way,” said Catalinac. The approvals process is expected to be long and involved when you’re dealing with such an "internationally beloved" property. “Even when we were told ‘Wonka wouldn’t do that’ in response to 2021 situations, it just strengthened our hope that he is secretly real and living in London somewhere.”

Nine commercials explore different challenges faced by Wonka, from “marshmallow pillow” supply issues to pesky “spy butterflies” to “coconut snow explosions.”

Aimed at CEOs, the commercials direct viewers to case studies on the ServiceNow website on how the platform has helped various organizations, including the WNBA and NBA during the pandemic.

The campaign runs across social, digital, TV and print.