LinkedIn spices up out-of-office messages with Cameo carolers

Dive Brief:

LinkedIn partnered with Cameo to launch #LinkedOutOfOffice Carolers, per details emailed to Marketing Dive.
Launched on Dec. 14 and continuing through Dec. 17, the effort will provide free, custom carols per day to LinkedIn members who detail how they plan to spend their time off during the holidays.
The Cameo activation was informed by LinkedIn research that found some workers feel anxious about turning on their out-of-office (OOO) message, but that it would be easier to write and receive OOO messages if they were fun.

Dive Insight:

LinkedIn has teamed with Cameo to give a festive spin to OOO messages, which are starting to crop up in the business world as workers take time off during the holidays. The effort looks to make OOO messages more fun, which 49% of workers polled on LinkedIn said would make them easier to write or receive and 36% said they'd benefit if people used them. LinkedIn's addition of entertaining carolers could ease worker stress this holiday season, with 27% saying they plan to work anyway while off during the holidays and 34% saying they feel anxious about turning on their OOO message.

The #LinkedOutOfOffice effort has given away 500 free, custom Cameo videos since launching on Dec. 14. The microsite also includes a generic video that consumers can download if they miss the custom video offering. For LinkedIn, the campaign could encourage workers to use the business-focused social network in a more lighthearted way, as video has become a mainstay of other social media platforms.

Marketers this year have embraced Cameo, which lets consumers pay for personalized messages from a variety of celebrities, influencers and other public figures at different price points. The service took off during the pandemic as creators looked for alternate streams of income and consumers sought outside-the-box gifts and moments of fun. Cameo paid out $75 million to its creator base last year.

LinkedIn is the latest marketer to team up with the platform. Nissan's luxury auto brand Infiniti in July teamed with celebrities on Cameo to answer shoppers' questions about its 2022 QX60 model, while Coca-Cola's first holiday campaign under its new "Real Magic" platform let consumers request a personalized video message from Santa through the service — one of the year's best campaigns.