Australian furniture brand Eva has pulled off a bold billboard stunt, taking a jab at Westpac’s recent court headlines over remote work arrangements.
The billboard, placed outside Westpac’s headquarters in Barangaroo, read: “Westpac’s HR team hates how comfortable our furniture is.”
Westpac was dragged to the Fair Work Commission by part-time staffer Karlene Chandler, who challenged the bank’s directive requiring employees to attend the office at least two days a week.
Chandler, who worked at Westpac for 23 years, argued for the right to continue working remotely.
The tribunal ended up siding with her.
The promotional strategy was the spontaneous creative mind of Amanda Liu, co-founder of Eva, told Mediaweek the idea was conceived to leverage the controversy and showcase what the brand does best.
“The idea came together super quickly from a simple thought – our furniture is so comfy, it’s actually hard to leave home for the office.”
“Once that line landed, everyone jumped in. We put our Monday tasks aside, knowing we wanted to catch people out and about on their lunch break. We threw around a few ideas and before we knew it, it was happening,” Liu added
Performance over people
The stunt comes as the issue of working from home reaches boiling point.
Microsoft also faced criticism for introducing location-tracking software designed to monitor employee presence in offices.
But, Eva dynamically seized the opportunity to propose an idea that redirected attention to the crucial missing element in recent WFH criticisms, prioritising humans.
“At Eva, we put humans at the centre of everything we do. Designing furniture that fits real life, not the other way around. It’s all part of being thoughtful everyday; creating pieces that are made for how people actually live and holding ourselves to that standard.
“Life’s constantly changing, and it’s our job to keep up – thoughtfully, playfully, and with people always in mind,” Liu said