THUMBTACK VIDEO CONTENT
Creative a repeatable playbook to fuel Marketing growth.
Over five years, Thumbtack’s Brand Creative and Growth Marketing teams produced high-quality TV spots and video content to drive growth, investing over $6 million monthly on streaming TV ads at its peak. Leveraging in-house production and agencies, we developed content on a consistent cadence to ensure cohesive, high-performing DR creative that enhanced ad recall and brand consistency.
PROJECT GOAL
Unlock a repeatable playbook for producing video content to fuel Marketing growth objectives — specifically for traditional and streaming TV ads, YouTube pre-roll ads, and paid social.
MY ROLE
Creative direction
On-set art direction
Video editing & 2D animation
Prior to the 2018 rebrand, the teams began exploring TV as a potential growth channel. Early efforts included producing lower-budget spots that depicted various “disaster” scenarios, aimed at persuading customers to reconsider tackling emergency projects themselves. These initial campaigns were designed to position Thumbtack as the reliable alternative to DIY solutions, establishing trust and emphasizing the value of professional help.
HOME DISASTERS
Building on the in-studio photography style we established with the rebrand, we envisioned key customer life moments within our signature minimalist on-white backdrop. Encouraging customers to find the right professionals to help them tackle life’s challenges, we created three distinct “Find Your People” spots — highlighting stories of the Busy Parent, New Homeowner, and Bride-to-be. Over time, these spots were optimized with DR best practices, clearer product demos, and more descriptive voiceovers. Below are the latest 30-second versions currently running on streaming channels.
FIND YOUR PEOPLE
We scaled this style to super-short, YouTube pre-roll ads aimed at our Busy Parent segment.
After developing the new brand illustration style, we partnered with animation studio Very True Story to explore its potential in a narrative format. This collaboration led to “The Future,” an animated TV spot highlighting how hiring professionals should be as easy as everything else in life. The team also created an animated video explaining Thumbtack’s virtual-first model, reflecting the company’s adaptability and commitment to employee success during and post-pandemic.
ILLUSTRATION TURNED ANIMATION
In 2022, Thumbtack shifted its focus wholly to the homeownership experience. To support this strategic pivot, the team collaborated with Lanfranco & Cordova to develop a home-centric spot. As with previous campaigns, we ensured a balance between brand quality and direct response best practices, including placing the logo within the first two seconds, maintaining its presence throughout, providing a concise product demonstration, and including a clear call-to-action.
CARE FOR YOUR HOME
To meet both the focus shift toward homeowners and our long-term goals for paid social — testing approximately 8 new assets each week to drive 13M searches — the team needed a system that allowed for quick creation, testing, and iteration without being overly focused on narrative. In partnership with DR production agency Rickhouse Media, the team shot modular scenes, allowing for numerous variations to support more thoughtful testing.