Upgrade Yourself

Time for an Upgrade

We’ve all felt stuck at times. Same old routine. Same old challenges. But what if a small shift could lead to something bigger, better, and a lot more fulfilling?

That’s the message DPG wanted to champion with their bold, cheeky campaign encouraging people to level up their careers through online professional qualifications in HR and Learning & Development. The brief was simple but powerful: show people that it’s never too late to change your path.

The Upgrade Yourself Brief

To bring this idea to life, we created three metaphor-rich videos, each designed to give viewers a playful jolt of perspective. These weren’t your typical corporate promos – they were tongue-in-cheek, metaphor-driven shorts that used surreal everyday scenarios to highlight that stuck feeling… and how easy it can be to break free from it.

Whether it was a man stuck under a useless, sputtering shower, a woman helplessly broken down at the roadside, or a woman caught in the middle of a stormy sea with no land in sight, each situation dialled up the drama of stagnation – before flipping the script. The message? “Time to upgrade yourself.”

Big Ideas, Smart Budget

We knew these scenarios had to feel cinematic, but we also had to keep things lean. So, we brought all three stories to life in a single studio space, using clever set design, lighting, and a green screen setup to simulate everything from stormy oceans to roadside breakdowns.

This approach kept production tight and budget-friendly, without compromising on visual impact. It allowed us to work efficiently, control the environment, and still deliver bold, scroll-stopping visuals that packed a punch.

The Metaphor Machine

Each video took a relatable frustration – the broken shower was that feeling of going through the motions with nothing to show for it. The car breakdown? A symbol of life grinding to a halt. And the stormy sea – a metaphor for feeling adrift, overwhelmed, and unsure which way is forward.

Each story was carefully crafted with cinematic visuals, stylised pacing, and a dash of absurdity to make it stick in your head. With just a few seconds of setup, each piece landed its punchline and pivoted to DPG’s empowering promise: online learning that works around your life.

Short, Sharp, and Social-First

Built for social platforms, these short-form spots were made to stop thumbs mid-scroll. They combined intriguing visuals with a universal feeling of “yep, been there,” delivering fast, funny content with a clear call to action. No over-explaining. No fluff. Just the reminder that change is possible—and closer than you think.

And then comes the one short line of VO which says all it needs to in a loud, bold, confident bellow: “You can do better than that!!!”

What made this campaign shine was its tone: smart but light, encouraging but not preachy. It didn’t just tell people to upgrade – it made them feel the need, laugh at it, and then actually want to do something about it.

DPG’s fully online courses in HR and L&D are built for people juggling careers, families, and busy lives. These videos showed the pain of standing still and the freedom that comes with choosing something better.