This is another video version, which you should be able to access by hitting the link below.


https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CNXi_nZ5T0ZVowa-2t91Z3UiaPdIFe7M/view

I'm also providing a transcript of the tutorial, in case you'd rather read this (rather rambling and shambling) tutorial. You could also ask Gemini to summarize this whole AI tutorial if you'd like to go down that increasingly meta road.

I did misspeak when I said the model ran for 9 minutes and 37 seconds. Rather, it ran for 9 minutes and used 37 different information sources. Below the transcript is the full report, in case you'd like to look it over.Transcript
Mark Vickers: Hi everyone, Mark here again.

Mark Vickers: for the open AI foundation model. so the other day I brought you through the perplexity deep research model. This is the chat GPT or OpenAI version. It's a much more sophisticated version and it's something that I think we can get a lot of use you can only use it if you're a plus user or above, which means that on the paid for plan, it's not super expensive. the research department has access to a version like this. I don't know if anybody else in the organization does, but I'll just walk you through this. there is a limitation on how many times you can use the deep research.

Mark Vickers: I think it's only 10 times in a month, but once you kind of see what it does, you may have a feeling about why they're doing it that way. So, the way I did this is I created a prompt and I was saying act as a market research analyst specializing in HR technology and services industry.  And I wrote a pretty sophisticated prompt, which if you're going to use the deep research function, you probably should use a rather sophisticated prompt to get at all the various things you're trying to get at. I'm not going to walk you all the way through this prompt. And once I ran the prompt, what happened was it asked a few clarifying points.

Mark Vickers: So, it's just basically asking me follow-up questions about things like scope of vendors and depth of analysis, report format, and some of those things. And what I did is I revamped the prompt just a little bit. and then I answered the questions. scope of vendors, I put my Depth of analysis, I put my answer here. and then I said great, I will conduct an in-depth analysis of vendor landscape focusing marketing trends and opportunities. I will include b blah. and then it ran. So I hit the go button and it ran for 9 minutes and 37 seconds which is a pretty long time. I was doing other things while it was doing its work.

Mark Vickers: And then it came up with a pretty long and sophisticated report. the report is called vendor marketing trends and opportunities in 2025. And it starts with top HR vendors investing in marketing and advertising. you can kind of see where it's going. It's naming some organization names. It's also citing some of the sources that it's using. So you can click through to these sources to make sure that it's not doing any hallucinating.

Mark Vickers: make sure all those are valid sources and then it's talking about marketing campaigns case examples and as you keep going it gives you these various segmentations this is vendor segmentation by size industry and marketing budgets and then you can get down here and there's emerging vendors and market trends and you can see all the various sub bullets  and points and sub subheadings here. And then we have another one on competitive benchmarking of marketing investments. So, as I said, it's a quite sophisticated and lengthy report. It's going at a lot of different things. It's going to bring up inevitably AI and datadriven insights, which was in fact part of the prompt. And so, it's quite a long report. And at the end of it, it talks about the sources that it uses.

Mark Vickers: And you can click again into these sources to have a look at the original articles that was pointing to. So that's pretty much how it works. As I was saying, we only get 10 of these per month. So there is a limit in how often you can use it. It does require a lot of resources from OpenAI, a lot of what they call inference compute.  And what that really means is, it's throwing a lot of tokens at all this stuff and it's using a lot of computing resources to do this, which means it costs the open AI company quite a bit of money to run something like this, which is why they put a limit on it. there are other services you can I think it's for the $200 a month, you get many more of these. Maybe they're unlimited. I can't remember how that works.

Mark Vickers: but for the version we have, which is $20 a month, we get 10 of these per month. so we're happy to do some of these for people if there's something in particular you're looking for, but for now, I just wanted to give you an idea of how this works and the scope of it. So, I'm hoping that's going to be helpful for you and just let me know if you have any questions. Thanks. Talk to you later.Meeting ended after 00:05:15 HR Vendor Marketing Trends and Opportunities in 2025
Top HR Vendors Investing in Marketing & Advertising
Leading Players and Active Marketing Strategies: The HR technology market is highly competitive in 2025, and leading vendors are ramping up marketing efforts across HR tech, payroll, benefits, recruiting, and learning segments. Enterprise HCM suite providers like Workday, Oracle, and SAP SuccessFactors continue to dominate with big-budget campaigns and omnipresent branding. For example, Workday’s recent “Rock Star” campaign (featuring rock legends in a Super Bowl ad) dramatically boosted its brand metrics – increasing brand consideration by 65% and awareness by 14% after the 2023 Super Bowl
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Major payroll and workforce management players such as ADP, Paychex, Paycom, UKG (Ultimate Kronos Group), and Ceridian are also investing heavily in multi-channel marketing. ADP, for instance, launched a creative “25th Hour” ad campaign to drive awareness, highlighting ADP’s role as an innovative leader in the evolving world of work
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Webcasts, Research Sponsorships & Events: Many top vendors are known for their thought leadership marketing – sponsoring webinars, white papers, and industry research. Oracle, Workday, ADP, Cornerstone OnDemand, Greenhouse, Eightfold AI, ServiceNow, and others frequently appear as sponsors of major HR conferences and digital events. At the 2024 HR Technology Conference, for example, the sponsor roster spanned giants like Oracle and Workday alongside rising stars like Eightfold, Paradox, Rippling, and Visier
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– underscoring that both well-established and emerging vendors allocate budget to event sponsorships. Vendors also underwrite HR research reports or partner with analyst firms to build credibility. For instance, iCIMS and Workhuman have been known to sponsor annual trend reports, and ADP’s research institute regularly publishes workforce insights (often doubling as marketing content).

Successful HR Marketing Campaigns – Case Examples: High-impact campaigns illustrate how HR tech companies are elevating their marketing game. Aside from Workday’s award-winning “Rock Star” ads, other notable examples include:

• ADP’s “What Are You #WorkingFor?” Brand Manifesto (2019): A campaign sparking conversations about purpose at work, which helped reposition ADP as more than a payroll provider

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ADP’s newer “Next is Now”/“25th Hour” campaign continues this trend of broad messaging to raise brand perception as a forward-thinking worktech company.

• UKG’s “Our Purpose is People” Campaign: Following the 2020 merger of Ultimate Software and Kronos, UKG embarked on a major brand awareness push focused on humanity in the workplace. This included upbeat TV commercials (e.g. a musical “Work of Art” ad directed by film director Barry Sonnenfeld) and sponsorship of sports events. UKG explicitly prioritized amplifying its brand as a growth strategy; leadership in 2024 emphasized driving double-digit growth by “building a world-class sales team [and] amplifying the brand” after the merger

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These efforts have made UKG’s brand highly visible in HR circles.

• BambooHR’s Content Marketing: Mid-market and SMB-focused vendors often use content and inbound tactics. BambooHR (HR software for SMBs) is known for its engaging eBooks, webinars, and even humorous video campaigns that resonate with HR audiences. While not a Super Bowl-scale budget, this content-driven approach has built BambooHR’s brand as a relatable thought leader among small HR teams.
• Workhuman & LinkedIn Co-Branded Events: Some vendors join forces with partners for marketing. For example, Workhuman (employee recognition platform) worked with LinkedIn to host virtual events on workplace culture, driving thousands of HR registrants. Such collaborative webcasts give vendors exposure to each other’s audiences and are popular in the HR tech space.

These case studies show that whether through big-budget ads or savvy content marketing, top HR tech vendors are actively courting HR buyers. The common thread is multi-channel presence – combining live events, digital media, and thought leadership to stay top-of-mind. Workday’s campaign, for instance, was deliberately cross-platform (TV, social, and even golf tournament sponsorship) to extend beyond typical B2B reach
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The payoff for such bold marketing is evident in increased brand trust and lead generation (Workday saw a 50% jump in leads after its global “rock star” push)
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.Vendor Segmentation by Size, Industry, and Marketing BudgetsBy Company Size – Enterprise vs. Mid-Market vs. SMB: Marketing strategies and spend tend to vary by vendor size and target customer.

• Enterprise Vendors: Large enterprise-focused firms (e.g. Workday, Oracle, SAP, SuccessFactors, ServiceNow HR, Microsoft Viva in HR, etc.) have the deepest pockets and most expansive marketing. They often allocate substantial budgets to brand advertising, premium sponsorships, and global campaigns. For example, Workday’s sales and marketing expense was about $1.8 billion in a recent fiscal year

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– a portion of that fueling high-profile ads and worldwide events. These enterprise players emphasize thought leadership: sponsoring major research studies, securing keynote slots at conferences, and producing polished content (blogs, podcasts, etc.) aimed at C-suite HR leaders.

• Mid-Market Vendors: Mid-sized HR tech companies (serving mid-market and enterprise alike) typically blend targeted and broad tactics. This category includes vendors like UKG, Ceridian, Cornerstone OnDemand, iCIMS, SuccessFactors (mid-enterprise), Ultimate Software (pre-UKG), Culture Amp, Degreed, etc. Their marketing budgets are significant but more measured. Many spend heavily on lead-generation webinars, nurture campaigns, and industry analyst relationships. Mid-market oriented firms tend to allocate a healthy percentage of revenue to marketing – often on the order of ~8–12% of revenue, according to B2B SaaS benchmarks

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They are very active in sponsoring niche industry events (e.g. recruiting technology summits, regional SHRM conferences) and often partner with media outlets for sponsored content. Vendors in this segment are also likely to invest in Account-Based Marketing (ABM), using personalized ads on LinkedIn or targeted emails to reach specific HR buyer personas at prospective client companies.

• SMB-Focused Vendors: Vendors targeting small and mid-size businesses (SMBs) – for example, Gusto, Zenefits, Rippling, Paycor, Namely, BambooHR, Justworks – operate with more limited budgets but often a higher marketing spend as a percentage of revenue to drive growth. It’s not uncommon for growing SaaS HR startups to pour 15–20% of their revenue into marketing in high-growth phases (considerably above the ~8% median)

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These companies rely heavily on digital marketing (Google Ads, social media ads) and scalable content to reach many small business owners cost-effectively. For instance, an HR software startup might run Google Ads for keywords like “HR software for small business” or “payroll service” – despite high competition – because each won client can bring recurring revenue. Many SMB HR vendors also leverage review sites and SEO (to appear in searches organically). Webinars and sponsored research are used here too, but often via partnerships (e.g. Gusto might co-sponsor a report on small business HR trends with a chamber of commerce or industry publication).

By Industry/HR Solution Segment: Marketing investment also correlates with the solution area and its buyer persona:

• Payroll and HRIS Vendors: Companies focused on payroll, core HRIS, or benefits administration (e.g. ADP, Paychex, Paylocity, Workday, SAP, Oracle, UKG) target a broad base of HR and finance professionals. They are known for big event sponsorships and broad advertising since their potential customer base is every organization’s HR department. ADP and Paychex, for example, run TV and online ads targeting finance/HR decision-makers at all sizes of companies. These vendors also frequently host webinars on compliance updates, payroll trends, etc., to attract HR practitioners looking for expert guidance (and indirectly market their services). They sponsor HR associations and often have a visible presence at trade shows (booths, lanyard sponsorships, etc.).
• Talent Acquisition and Recruiting Tech: Vendors in recruiting, hiring, and employer branding – e.g. LinkedIn (Talent Solutions), Indeed, iCIMS, Greenhouse, Lever, SmartRecruiters, Handshake (campus recruiting), Paradox (AI recruiting assistant) – tend to invest in content-driven marketing. Recruiters and TA leaders are active on LinkedIn, so these vendors pump resources into LinkedIn ads and thought leadership posts. It’s common to see recruiting tech firms sponsoring research on hiring trends or hosting “Talent Innovation” webcasts. Eightfold AI (a talent intelligence platform) is a good example: it sponsors analyst reports on AI in recruiting and took a Diamond sponsorship at HR Tech 2024

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signaling aggressive marketing. This segment often emphasizes webinars (e.g. “Top 5 Hiring Trends of 2025” sponsored by a recruiting software vendor) to generate leads. In digital advertising, they bid on keywords like “applicant tracking system” on Google and run retargeting ads to lure HR visitors back to their site.

• Learning, Development & Talent Management: Vendors like Cornerstone OnDemand, Degreed, Docebo, 360Learning, SuccessFactors (learning module), SumTotal and others in L&D use a mix of event and content marketing. They target HR and L&D professionals, often via industry journals and associations (e.g. ATD – Association for Talent Development). These companies sponsor a lot of webinars on topics like upskilling or future skills, and often partner with analysts (e.g. sponsoring a Brandon Hall Group or Deloitte study on learning trends). They may not do as much broad consumer-style advertising, focusing instead on B2B channels and influencer networks (e.g. well-known HR analysts or consultants might host sponsored webinars on their behalf).
• Employee Engagement, Experience, DEIB: A newer class of HR tech focused on engagement, employee experience (EX), and diversity/equity/inclusion (DEI) tends to lean heavily into thought leadership marketing. Vendors such as Culture Amp, Qualtrics (EmployeeXM), Medallia, Glint (now part of LinkedIn), Workhuman, BetterUp (coaching), and dozens of DEIB analytics or training startups often differentiate with research. They publish annual “workplace engagement” reports or sponsor surveys on diversity progress. Their marketing budgets may be smaller, but are very focused on content that drives conversation (e.g. e-books, podcasts, and conference speaking). Many of these vendors sponsor leadership forums or niche events (for example, an “Inclusion Summit” or “Employee Experience conference”) rather than general HR expos, to directly reach their specific audience. In digital channels, LinkedIn is crucial – you’ll see these companies sponsoring LinkedIn content about culture and engagement. A company like Culture Amp also invests in community-building as marketing: they run the online People Geeks community and events, effectively turning customers and prospects into a marketing engine through peer networking.

Marketing Budget Ranges & Benchmarks: Publicly disclosed figures and industry benchmarks give a sense of vendors’ marketing investments. In general, B2B software firms invest around 8–10% of revenue in marketing on average
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HR tech appears to align with this, though with some frugality historically – an HR.com analysis noted HR vendors were “notably frugal” in marketing spend pre-2020, often budgeting near the lower end of B2B norms. Still, as competition intensifies, many are boosting spend. Large enterprise HR providers (Workday, Oracle, SAP) spend hundreds of millions annually on marketing (bundled in sales & marketing expenses). Workday’s ~$1.8B S&M expense (fiscal 2023)
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for instance, suggests a marketing budget easily in the high tens of millions when isolating marketing-specific spend. Similarly, ADP – a $16B revenue company – is estimated to spend a healthy eight-figure sum on marketing and advertising, evidenced by its frequent prime-time ads and event sponsorships.

Mid-sized HR tech firms (with revenues in the hundreds of millions) typically have marketing budgets in the single-digit millions. For example, a $200M revenue vendor might allocate ~$15M (7–8%) to marketing, whereas a faster-growing one might allocate over $20M (10%+). High-growth startups and newly funded players might temporarily allocate even 15–20% (or more) of revenue to marketing to capture market share. Industry venture advisors note that tech startups, including in HR, often allocate double-digit percentages (sometimes up to 20–30%) of projected revenue to marketing during aggressive growth phases
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This is evident in the behavior of vendors like Personio and Darwinbox that, after mega funding rounds, significantly scaled their go-to-market spend.

Who Invests in Webcasts, Research, Digital Ads: Virtually all segments of HR tech invest in a mix of these channels, but there are patterns in who leans into which:

• Webcasts & Webinars: Webinars are a staple for mid-market and enterprise-focused vendors in talent management, recruiting, and complex HR solutions. These vendors use webinars to educate the market (and gather leads). For example, recruiting tech firms frequently host webcasts on hiring best practices, often in partnership with sites like ERE or HR.com. HR software marketers value that webinars attract an audience of practitioners actively seeking knowledge. Vendors targeting HR professionals (who often need HRCI/SHRM credits) know offering educational webcasts is a win-win: attendees get free learning (and credits), while the vendor gains brand exposure and lead data. Research sponsorships are similarly popular among mid-to-large vendors aiming to be thought leaders – it’s common to see an HR tech company sponsor a survey or whitepaper by a respected third party (e.g., sponsoring an MIT Sloan Management Review study on HR analytics, or an HR.com research report on DEI). These tactics are less common for very small-budget vendors (who might not afford sponsoring research), but even startups will sometimes co-sponsor studies through industry consortiums to get their name out.
• Digital Advertising (Search & Social): SMB-focused and growth-stage vendors are the heaviest investors in digital ads, though nearly all vendors do some form of digital advertising. SMB HR providers (payroll, HRIS, benefits tech for small businesses) rely on Google Ads to capture inbound interest – for instance, searches for “best HR software” or “payroll service” yield ads from companies like Gusto, Paychex, Paylocity, etc. These keywords are highly competitive (HR software keywords are known to be expensive per click), but vendors still find it worthwhile. In fact, businesses in software often see about $2 in revenue for every $1 spent on Google Ads on average

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making it a cost-effective channel when done right. Vendors also invest in LinkedIn Ads, given LinkedIn’s ability to target HR roles by title and industry. Many HR tech marketers consider LinkedIn a key channel for both brand awareness and lead gen. A case in point: one HR tech company spent $904,000 over 12 months on LinkedIn Ads to drive a full-funnel ABM campaign
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– showing how substantial the investment on this platform can be. Enterprise vendors use LinkedIn not just for ads but also sponsored content and employee advocacy (amplifying posts through their executives and employees). Industry-specific digital media is another spend area: HR vendors purchase banner ads or sponsored newsletters on sites like HRExecutive, TLNT, HR Dive, and SHRM.org. For example, it’s common to see Workday or UKG sponsoring the daily news email from an HR publication. According to Gartner, paid media (which includes digital ads) makes up roughly 25% of the total marketing budget in recent years

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driven largely by digital channels – HR tech vendors reflect this trend, dedicating a significant share of spend to search ads, social ads, and programmatic ads on industry sites.

• Events & Sponsorships: All vendor sizes invest here, but enterprise and mid-market vendors particularly devote large budgets to trade shows, conferences, and expos. The HR industry has many marquee events (HR Technology Conference, SHRM Annual Conference, UNLEASH, etc.), and sponsorship/exhibiting is a major outlay. Enterprise vendors often spring for the highest-tier sponsorships (keynote sponsor, expo hall naming rights, etc.), while smaller vendors might take standard booths or sponsor a lunch or track. With the rise of virtual events (especially post-2020), even smaller vendors found they could sponsor online summits or virtual conferences at lower costs. Webinar sponsorships on platforms like HR.com or Human Capital Institute have also become a popular option to reach audiences without the cost of physical travel – essentially a pay-to-play webinar where the vendor provides speakers/content and the platform provides the audience.

In summary, webinars (webcasts) and industry research sponsorships tend to be favored by vendors who sell complex HR solutions (because education helps create demand), whereas digital ads (Google, LinkedIn) are crucial for those who have defined offerings that buyers actively search for (payroll, ATS, etc.) or who need to scale pipeline quickly.

That said, most successful vendors use a mix – for example, a payroll provider like Paycom not only runs TV commercials and Google Ads, but also sponsors webinars on HRExecutive (indicating even transactional product vendors see value in thought leadership). Marketing budget allocation is thus spread across these vehicles. A 2019 CMO survey noted a general uptick in digital spend and that digital was the clear driver in budget growth
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which holds true in HR tech marketing: vendors are channeling more funds into digital content and webinars relative to purely physical events, especially as ROI can be tracked better online.
Emerging HR Vendors & Market Trends
Fast-Growing and Emerging Vendors (NA, Europe, India): The HR tech landscape in 2025 includes a dynamic mix of emerging players alongside incumbents. Several startups and recently funded companies are capturing market attention with innovative solutions – and they are investing in marketing to challenge larger rivals. Notable fast-growing vendors include:

• Personio (Europe): A Munich-based HRIS for SMEs, Personio has raised over $200M (Series E) and reached an $8.5B valuation

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With 12,000+ customers in Europe, Personio is expanding across the EU and into new markets. It ramped up marketing after its funding – sponsoring major HR events in Europe (like UNLEASH in Paris) and running digital campaigns emphasizing its all-in-one HR platform. Personio’s status as a European unicorn means it’s often cited in HR tech trend reports, which further boosts its brand.

• HiBob (Israel/Global): HiBob (which offers “Bob,” an HR platform for mid-sized companies) is another rapidly expanding vendor, particularly in Europe and the US. HiBob has been heavily marketing around “modern employee experience,” using savvy social media ads and sponsoring industry webinars. It even landed a platinum sponsorship at HR Tech 2024

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indicating its push to increase U.S. market presence.

• Eightfold AI and SeekOut (USA): In the talent intelligence space, Eightfold AI (California-based, ~$400M funded) and SeekOut (Seattle-based, ~$189M funded) are growing quickly. Eightfold, in particular, markets its AI-powered talent platform aggressively as the answer to talent shortages – it sponsors global events and puts out high-visibility thought leadership on AI in HR. Both Eightfold and SeekOut have been recognized as top AI startups, and they leverage that PR in marketing (e.g., Eightfold’s placement on Forbes AI 50 list was amplified in its campaigns). These companies are emblematic of the AI-driven HR tech trend, and their marketing often centers on AI capabilities (like Eightfold’s “Skills-based hiring with AI” messaging).
• Rippling (USA): Rippling is a younger HR/payroll/IT platform that has rapidly grown in the SMB and mid-market segment. With sizable funding, Rippling is making a marketing splash – notably, it was a Diamond sponsor at HR Tech Conference 2024

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signaling it’s vying for broad brand awareness alongside legacy players. Rippling’s marketing plays up automation and integration (the pitch “everything in one system” for HR and IT), which taps into the trend of converging HR and IT management for employee lifecycle.

• Globalization Partners (G-P) and OysterHR (Global Remote Work): As remote/distributed work drives demand for global hiring solutions, companies like G-P (Globalization Partners) and Oyster have emerged to provide Employer of Record services. G-P, in particular, has spent generously on marketing, including digital advertising targeting HR leaders who need to onboard international talent quickly. These companies highlight global HR trends and often use case studies of companies hiring in multiple countries – a pain point that became very salient in 2020–2021 and remains a focus.
• Darwinbox (India/Asia): Darwinbox is Asia’s fastest-growing HCM platform, based in India, which recently became a unicorn after a $72M funding round

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It’s now expanding beyond Asia to MENA and Europe. Darwinbox has explicitly earmarked funds to “scale its go-to-market presence” and invest aggressively in new regions

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indicating a ramp-up of marketing and sales in those markets. We see Darwinbox sponsoring regional HR events (e.g., HR Summits in Dubai) and forging partnerships with local HR influencers to build credibility outside its home market. Its rise shows how India-based HR tech is now part of the global competitive set – and these firms are adopting global marketing tactics to match (such as English-language thought leadership content, global PR announcements, etc.).

• Other Startups to Watch: A plethora of smaller emerging vendors are making waves in niches – e.g., TestGorilla (Netherlands, skills testing platform, funded and growing)

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Beamery (UK/US, talent lifecycle management, now a unicorn), Papaya Global (Israel, global payroll platform, well-funded), Lattice (US, performance and engagement, which has used savvy content marketing and community events to grow), CoachHub (EU, digital coaching, heavily marketing in HR/L&D circles), iMocha (India, skills assessment SaaS), Glint (employee engagement, acquired by LinkedIn but still expanding its offerings) and more. Many of these are using product-led growth combined with targeted B2B marketing – for instance, offering free trials or freemium models to get HR users in the door, then upselling (with marketing support via email campaigns, etc.). They also capitalize on social proof: e.g., showcasing G2 Crowd awards or Gartner Magic Quadrant placements in their marketing to build trust as a newer brand.

Key Trends Shaping HR Vendor Marketing:

1. AI-Powered Solutions as a Marketing Hook: AI is the dominant theme in HR tech in 2025. Nearly every vendor is infusing AI into their product and promoting it heavily in marketing. From AI-driven recruitment tools to AI analytics in HRIS, vendors are positioning themselves as AI innovators. For example, Eightfold’s marketing revolves around its AI matching engine for talent, and traditional vendors like Oracle and SAP highlight new AI features in their HR suites. This trend is a response to HR buyers’ keen interest in AI – surveys show an overwhelming majority of large organizations plan to increase HR tech budgets for AI capabilities, and 80% of Global 2000 companies will be using algorithmic AI-driven systems for hiring, firing, and training by 2025

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Vendors are seizing on this demand. Marketing collateral frequently mentions automation, predictive analytics, chatbots, and generative AI. We see campaign slogans like “Recruiting reimagined with AI” or “AI-powered people analytics” becoming commonplace. Importantly, vendors are not only adding AI rhetorically – many truly are embedding AI (e.g., Paradox’s Olivia AI assistant for recruiting is a key selling point

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and thus features prominently in Paradox’s marketing materials). In 2025, even traditionally non-techy HR service firms feel pressure to highlight AI – for instance, payroll providers talk about AI for compliance or error detection in payroll.

Overall, AI is being used as both a product feature and a marketing narrative to catch the attention of HR decision-makers looking for cutting-edge solutions.

1. Employee Experience (EX) & Holistic Platforms: Another trend is vendors framing themselves as “employee experience platforms”. Rather than point solutions, the buzz is around holistic, integrated suites that improve every aspect of the employee lifecycle. Industry observers predict that holistic employee experience platforms will dominate the HR tech market

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reflecting this shift. Many vendors have adjusted their marketing language accordingly. For example, ServiceNow repositioned its HR offering as part of an “Employee Workflow and Experience” solution. Vendors like Qualtrics and Medallia emphasize how they integrate engagement, performance, and feedback in one place. Even core HR vendors are rebranding modules as “experience” (e.g., a learning system marketed as an “employee growth experience platform”). For emerging vendors, this trend means opportunity – startups that offer a more modern, slick user experience play up the EX angle to challenge legacy systems. A company like Staffbase (employee communications platform from Germany) markets itself as improving everyday employee experience (through intranets and comms apps), and it has seen growth by surfing this trend. The focus on EX also ties into the ongoing importance of employee engagement and well-being, so HR tech marketing often touches on how the technology will make employees happier or more engaged, not just streamline HR admins. This is a softer, more human-centric messaging trend that complements the tech-centric AI messaging – in fact, some campaigns combine them (e.g., “Use AI to enhance your employee experience”).

1. Automation & Efficiency Messaging: Hand in hand with AI, the promise of automation is a key trend in marketing. HR departments are under pressure to do more with less (especially after pandemic-era transformations), so vendors are pitching their tools as efficiency boosters. Robotic process automation (RPA) in HR workflows, automated onboarding sequences, auto-scheduling interviews, etc., are prominently highlighted in product demos and marketing content. Many vendors use metrics in their marketing like “our system reduces manual work by X hours” or case studies like “Company Y saved 40% of HR admin time with our solution.” This trend is about addressing the pain point of HR professionals who are stretched thin – marketing messages emphasize freeing up HR to be more strategic by automating repetitive tasks. For example, one sponsor webinar in early 2025 was literally titled “What Would You Do With an Extra Hour? – HR Automation in Action,” echoing exactly that sentiment (the “25th Hour” concept ADP used creatively)

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. This resonates well in the current environment.

1. Data-Driven HR and Analytics: Over the past few years, HR has become more data-driven, and vendors are riding that wave. Analytics and insights are prominent in marketing messaging – whether it’s a core HR platform talking about people analytics dashboards or a niche vendor focusing on surveying and analytics (e.g., Visier, ChartHop). Many vendors publish data reports as part of marketing (e.g., an “annual HR metrics benchmark” report using aggregate customer data – something that vendors like Visier and ADP do via their research arms). By offering unique data insights, vendors position themselves as authorities and create content marketing material that attracts HR professionals hungry for benchmarks. This strategy simultaneously showcases the analytical power of their tools. In 2025, the merging of HR and analytics tech (with even traditional vendors partnering with BI tools or acquiring analytics startups) is influencing marketing – expect to see more campaigns centered on “real-time HR insights” and “data-driven decision-making for HR” as selling points.
2. Focus on DEIB and Employee Well-being: Social and cultural shifts have their echo in HR tech marketing too. Many HR vendors are aligning their brand with diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) values and employee wellness. For example, startup vendors offering DEI analytics or bias-reduction tools are specifically marketing to CHROs looking to boost DEI outcomes. Even broader HR platforms often include messaging about how they support a more inclusive workplace (perhaps by offering bias-free recruiting AI, or accessibility features in their software, etc.). Similarly, with mental health and well-being a continued workplace focus, HR tech providers in benefits, EAP (employee assistance), or engagement weave in the importance of well-being. BetterUp, a coaching platform, markets heavily on personal growth and mental resilience, tapping into C-suite concerns about burnout. This trend shapes marketing in a more values-oriented direction: vendors sponsor and speak at events like “Workplace Wellness Summit” or “Inclusive Workplace Conference” to underscore their commitment to these areas, not just to sell software. Essentially, HR tech marketing is acknowledging that buyers are not only evaluating features, but also looking for partners in solving human-centric issues like inclusion and wellness.

Impact of Mergers, Acquisitions, and Funding on Marketing: The flurry of M&A and investment activity in HR tech over the last couple of years is significantly influencing vendor marketing strategies in 2025:

• Post-Merger Rebranding and Cross-Selling: When big mergers happen, vendors often undergo rebranding and a marketing blitz to communicate their new identity and expanded capabilities. The creation of UKG (Ultimate + Kronos) is a prime example: after the 2020 merger, UKG launched a unified brand with a strong new identity (the “purpose is people” slogan) and invested in high-profile brand campaigns to ensure customers of the legacy firms understood the new value prop. Their marketing also had to convey an enlarged product suite (workforce management + HCM), which meant new messaging and educating the market. Similarly, if a talent software company buys a learning platform, the merged entity’s marketing will shift to present an integrated story (and likely upsell the combined solution to each other’s customer bases). We’ve seen this with Cornerstone OnDemand, which acquired SumTotal and EdCast – Cornerstone’s marketing now emphasizes an “end-to-end learning and talent experience,” blending the capabilities of all three. Marketing teams post-M&A put effort into updating collateral, creating case studies of the combined solutions, and often running campaigns to re-ignite interest (sometimes including special offers for new modules to existing customers).
• Acquisitions of Niche Players by Big Vendors: Large vendors frequently acquire smaller innovative companies (often AI startups or point solutions). In 2023, for instance, Workday acquired HiredScore, a talent intelligence platform

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. These acquisitions lead to marketing opportunities: the big vendor can market new features (“now with AI-powered scoring!”) and also target the acquired company’s customers for upselling. We see press releases and conference presentations highlighting the new acquisition’s tech – essentially turning the M&A into marketing buzz. Additionally, these moves force competitors to respond in marketing; e.g., after Workday and Oracle made acquisitions in AI recruiting, you’ll notice SAP SuccessFactors and others emphasizing their own AI (or partnerships) to avoid being outshone. Thus, acquisitions tend to spur a mini “marketing arms race” in that sub-domain of HR tech.

• Venture Funding Rounds Fuel Marketing Expansion: When an HR tech startup lands a big funding round or achieves unicorn status, a portion of that capital often flows straight into marketing and sales expansion. The reasoning is to capitalize on the momentum, grow market share quickly, and justify the new valuation. We’ve mentioned Darwinbox, which after its unicorn-making round explicitly aimed to “invest aggressively” in go-to-market expansion

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. This means hiring more marketing staff, increasing ad spend, entering new geographies with localized campaigns, and generally making noise. Such companies often increase their presence at industry events and might launch bold initiatives (for example, Personio post-funding launched a major pan-European ad campaign and started an annual HR trends report to raise its profile beyond DACH markets). On the flip side, when the funding environment tightens, some later-stage startups might pull back on extremely costly branding efforts and focus on ROI-driven marketing – but as of 2025, many HR tech startups still flush with VC cash are in growth mode, so they are likely to be seen sponsoring everything from webinars to podcasts to airport ads.

• Industry Consolidation and Marketing Messages: As acquisitions consolidate the market, vendors are also adjusting their marketing messages to differentiate in a possibly shrinking vendor pool. For instance, if many mid-sized ATS vendors get acquired by larger HCM suites, the remaining independents will market harder on their specialization or innovation (“We’re the dedicated recruiting platform, not an add-on”). Conversely, the consolidated suites market the advantage of one-stop-shop solutions. We see this playing out: big HCM suites (SAP, Oracle, Workday, UKG) now tout how comprehensive their platform is (thanks to acquisitions), whereas specialist players (like Greenhouse for ATS or Ceridian for payroll) emphasize depth of expertise. This dynamic is directly driven by M&A trends and is very evident in the marketing narratives of 2025.

In terms of market trends influencing content: vendors are tailoring their thought leadership to topics HR leaders care about now and next. For example, as hybrid work and return-to-office policies evolve, HR tech companies produce content on “managing hybrid teams” or “flexible workforce strategies” and subtly tie in how their product helps. Another example: skills-based hiring and internal talent mobility are hot trends (championed by analysts like Josh Bersin). Vendors like Eightfold, Beamery, and Gloat (talent marketplace) center their marketing on “skills” and “internal mobility” because it’s resonating with HR buyers’ current priorities. Essentially, successful HR tech marketing in 2025 is trend-aligned – vendors closely watch industry research and HR pain points (from AI, EX, skills, hybrid work, compliance changes, etc.) and craft campaigns addressing those, rather than just pushing product features in a vacuum.Competitive Benchmarking of Marketing InvestmentsDigital Platforms: LinkedIn, Google, and Industry Media – HR tech vendors today spread their marketing dollars across multiple digital platforms, with each serving a different purpose in the marketing mix. Here’s how investments often compare:

• LinkedIn Advertising and Content: LinkedIn is arguably the premier platform for B2B HR marketing due to its professional targeting. Nearly all serious HR vendors maintain active LinkedIn company pages, and many run Sponsored Content ads or InMail campaigns targeting HR titles. The level of investment on LinkedIn can be significant; as noted, one HR tech firm spent roughly $900K in one year on LinkedIn ads alone

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, segmenting campaigns for prospecting and retargeting. Large enterprise vendors (Oracle, Workday) often use LinkedIn for thought leadership distribution – for example, promoting a whitepaper or an upcoming webcast via sponsored posts that appear in HR professionals’ feeds. Mid-sized and startup vendors, looking for lead generation, might use LinkedIn Lead Gen Forms to capture signups for a demo or newsletter directly from an ad. We also see a lot of video ads on LinkedIn by HR vendors, showcasing product tours or customer testimonials, since video can boost engagement. In terms of benchmarking: LinkedIn ads can be pricey (cost-per-click and cost-per-lead are generally higher than Google Search), but the quality of leads (in terms of relevancy and job title) tends to be high for HR tech. Vendors measure success on LinkedIn by metrics like click-through rate (CTR) and cost per lead; an average CTR for HR software LinkedIn ads might hover around 0.5–1%, but well-targeted content can exceed that. Some vendors choose to sponsor community discussions or groups on LinkedIn (less formal than ads) by having their SMEs actively comment on trending HR topics – this is more of a branding play than direct spend but is part of the competitive strategy to be seen by the HR audience on LinkedIn.

• Google Ads and SEO: On Google, HR vendors compete for search visibility both via paid search ads and organic SEO. Google Ads (SEM) is a major budget item especially for SMB-focused vendors as mentioned. Keywords like “HR software”, “performance management tool”, “payroll service for <X>”, etc., can command several dollars (sometimes $10+ for very valuable keywords) per click. Yet, vendors invest because the intent is high – someone searching those terms is likely shopping for a solution. Competitively, vendors will bid on each other’s brand names too (e.g., a search for “Workday payroll” might show a Paycom ad). Many of the top HR software companies consistently appear in Google’s ad results, indicating ongoing spend. The ROI benchmark often cited (across industries) is about 2:1 revenue to ad spend

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, but top-performing campaigns can do better. SEO is also critical: content marketing efforts feed into SEO so that vendors rank high in organic results for key terms. For example, if you Google “employee engagement software”, you’ll find vendors like Culture Amp and Workday’s pages often near the top – a result of investing in content and technical SEO. Smaller vendors often have to decide if they can afford the Google Ads arms race or if they focus on niche keywords and SEO. Competitively, those with larger budgets (ADP, Workday, etc.) can dominate broad keywords, so challengers carve out niches or use long-tail terms (like “HR software for nonprofits” etc.). The benchmark CPC (cost per click) in HR tech can range widely; anecdotal data suggests HR software Google ads see CTRs around 2%
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and vendors optimize landing pages to convert those clicks efficiently.

• Industry-Specific Media and Communities: HR vendors also allocate budget to advertising on industry portals and sponsoring content in HR publications. Outlets like HR Executive, HR.com, SHRM, HR Dive, TLNT, Personnel Today (UK), People Matters (India), etc., have sponsorship programs that vendors tap into. For instance, Human Resource Executive runs regular sponsored webinars and articles – in their schedule for early 2025, we see webinars titled “HR Trends Shaping 2025” and “Where HR Orgs Will Be Spending in 2025” labeled as Sponsor Content

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(with logos of vendors like ServiceNow and Paycom attached). This indicates vendors are paying to host these webinars on HRE’s platform to reach its audience. The competitive benchmark here is the number of webinars or sponsored content pieces a vendor is doing relative to peers. Some vendors, like UKG or Oracle, might sponsor multiple webinars a year on various sites, essentially dominating share of voice in those channels. Others may stick to one or two key partnerships (e.g., one vendor might exclusively sponsor an HR.com research series for the year). There’s also investment in HR podcasts and influencer partnerships – e.g., vendors sponsor episodes of popular HR podcasts or collaborate with well-known HR influencers (analysts, respected CHROs) who produce content. These are emerging areas where a platform or media that offers a unique audience (like Hacking HR’s community or ERE’s recruiting community) can attract marketing dollars if they demonstrate engaged listeners/readers.
Allocation Between Webcasts, Research, Digital Ads: While exact budget splits vary, there are some observable patterns in how HR vendors divide their marketing spend across these channels. Based on industry benchmarks and typical B2B tech allocation, a notional split for a mid-to-large HR tech vendor’s marketing budget might be: roughly 20–30% on digital advertising (Google, LinkedIn, etc.), 20% on events (physical and virtual), 10–15% on content creation and research (whitepapers, sponsorships), 10% on webinars (which often overlaps with events if they sponsor external webinars), and the remainder on other marketing operations (email campaigns, website, PR, etc.). Webinars in particular have grown as a proportion of spend post-2020, when physical events paused – many vendors reallocated budget into hosting or sponsoring virtual events and found them effective. Now in 2025, webinars remain a key tactic. Some vendors host monthly webinars (for lead gen) as part of their own content program, which is an internal cost, and additionally sponsor external webinars by industry groups for brand exposure.
One trend is the blurring of research and webinars – i.e., a vendor sponsors a research report and then also does a webinar about the findings. This one-two punch maximizes the value of the spend and content. For example, a talent analytics vendor might fund a survey on people analytics adoption, then present the results in a webcast in partnership with the research firm. This gives them both a downloadable asset (the report) and a live event to collect leads. It’s common to see co-branded webinars like “Sponsored by [Vendor] in partnership with [Research Org]”.
Emphasis on Webinars (Why Webinars are Hot): Webinars deserve a special call-out because HR tech marketers consistently find them to be high-performing for engagement. HR professionals often attend webinars for recertification credits or to stay current, so attendance can be high if the topic is relevant. Vendors favor webinars since they provide direct contact with prospects (and the ability to nurture them afterward). In competitive terms, vendors track how many sign-ups and attendees they get relative to industry averages. A good turnout might be a few hundred attendees for a general-topic webinar. Some leading vendors have managed to pull audiences of 1,000+ for broad-interest webinars (especially if offering HRCI credits). The webinar quality and lack of overt sales pitch is key – those known for educational, non-salesy webinars (often co-hosted with analysts or clients) tend to build better reputation and get more attendees over time. That is an area where platforms that host these webinars can differentiate – by ensuring high-quality content and audience acquisition, they become go-to venues for vendors.
Gaps and Opportunities for Platforms to Attract Vendor Marketing $: Given the competitive landscape, there are still under-leveraged channels and ways a platform could stand out to HR vendors:

• Niche Audience Segmentation: Many vendors feel they saturate broad channels like LinkedIn but still struggle to reach specific sub-audiences (for example, HR leaders in healthcare industry, or comp and benefits specialists, etc.). A platform that offers a highly targeted audience segment with proven engagement could attract sponsors. For instance, an online community exclusively for CHROs of mid-sized companies, or a newsletter geared to HR in tech startups, might be very appealing for certain vendors. If you’re a platform owner, highlighting a unique slice of the HR demographic that you deliver (and providing data on engagement) will draw marketing dollars that might otherwise be lost in the noise on broader platforms.
• Thought Leadership and Credibility: Vendors are eager to associate with trusted industry thought leaders and content. A media platform or event series that has an authoritative voice (through respected analysts, well-known HR experts, or prestigious research) can differentiate itself. For example, Gartner and Deloitte have strong HR tech events and reports – vendors clamor to sponsor those because of the credibility halo. Not every platform has a Gartner-level brand, but any outlet that can show it produces high-quality, research-backed content could entice vendors to sponsor that content, knowing it will be well received by HR practitioners. Essentially, quality over quantity is an opportunity – many digital ad platforms offer volume, but a platform that offers depth of content and trust can charge premium rates and still be in demand.
• Innovative Formats (Beyond Standard Webinars): While webinars are popular, there is room for innovation. Interactive formats like live Q&A sessions (“Ask the Expert” with an industry guru), virtual roundtables, podcasts, even micro-learning video series, are not yet as crowded with vendor sponsorship. A platform that can package such formats and prove HR audience interest could carve a niche. For instance, a moderated Slack or Discord community for HR pros that allows a sponsor to host an “AMA – Ask Me Anything” session might be a novel sponsorship opportunity. Similarly, HR podcasts have a growing audience; a platform producing a top HR podcast (say, on HR tech trends) can offer limited sponsorship slots – currently, only a few vendors sponsor podcasts heavily (e.g., Paychex sponsors HR Happy Hour podcast). There’s opportunity for more vendors to get into audio marketing if the right platform pitches it.
• Data and Insight Driven Marketing Opportunities: Platforms that can give vendors better insights into performance will have an edge. For example, if an industry publication can provide intent data or firmographic data on who is engaging with a sponsored article (e.g., “500 HR directors from companies 5,000+ employees read your piece”), that is gold for a vendor. Right now, vendors get basic metrics from webinars (leads, attendee feedback) and ad platforms (clicks, etc.), but an HR-specific platform that leverages data (maybe through AI analysis of its user behavior) to show sponsors the ROI in terms of pipeline or brand lift would attract repeat business. In other words, measurement and analytics are an opportunity – being able to demonstrate to a vendor that “sponsoring with us led to X% increase in your brand sentiment among our audience” or “yielded Y number of sales opportunities” would differentiate that platform.
• Global Reach vs. Local Appeal: U.S.-based vendors often focus on North America, but many are looking to grow in Europe and Asia. Conversely, international HR tech companies want to break into the U.S. Platforms that have global HR audiences or can help bridge regions are attractive. For example, an APAC-focused HR newsletter might entice a North American vendor that’s expanding to APAC and wants exposure there. Or a global HR conference that rotates through Europe, US, Asia could get multi-region sponsorship commitments. Right now, some vendors have to sponsor multiple regional events to cover their markets; a platform offering a one-stop global package could stand out. On the flip side, hyper-local events (like a city-specific HR leaders meetup series) could also be underserviced – a vendor might sponsor a series of local meetups if they target customers in those hubs, especially mid-market vendors who often do regional marketing. Thus, identifying whether a gap exists at the global or local level and positioning the platform accordingly is key.

In summary, the competitive benchmarking shows that HR vendors are spending across LinkedIn, Google, and industry outlets, with LinkedIn and industry content sponsorships being especially favored for quality lead generation. Webinars are a centerpiece tactic, so any platform strong in webinars (or innovative offshoots of webinars) will continue to draw interest. However, there’s room for platforms to innovate by offering more targeted audiences, novel engagement formats, and stronger ROI analytics – doing so can pull marketing dollars away from the usual suspects and into new channels that demonstrate value.AI & Data-Driven Insights for Targeting HR VendorsWith so many HR tech vendors vying for attention, those planning how to approach these vendors for marketing partnerships can leverage AI and data to be more strategic. Here are data-driven ways to identify which vendors are in the market for sponsorships and how to tailor outreach:
Identifying Vendors Actively Seeking Marketing Opportunities: Not all companies are equally open to sponsorships at a given time – clues can be gathered through market intelligence:

• Intent Data and Search Behavior: Using B2B intent data services (like Bombora, ZoomInfo Intent) can reveal which companies are surging on consuming content related to marketing opportunities. For instance, if Bombora shows a spike for “HR webinar sponsorship” or “B2B advertising opportunities” on certain HR tech company domains, that’s a strong signal those companies might be researching where to advertise. Similarly, tracking Google search trends for key vendor personnel (e.g., a marketing manager from a vendor visiting your platform’s “Advertise with us” page) can be done with tools or monitored via your site analytics. Widely available tools can sometimes show if a company’s employees are reading articles on sponsoring or asking questions on social media about where to market.
• Social Media and Forums: LinkedIn is a goldmine to see what HR tech marketers are talking about. Often, marketing leaders of HR vendors will post about their strategy or reveal their interests. For example, a CMO might post, “Excited that we got 500 attendees in our webinar last week!” – indicating their focus on webinars. Or someone might ask their network, “What HR conferences are you sponsoring this year?” – indicating they are looking for ideas. By following HR tech marketing folks (many are active on LinkedIn, and communities like the HR Marketing Institute exist for this very purpose), you can glean who is prioritizing what. In late 2024, for instance, several startup CMOs talked on LinkedIn about shifting budgets to more virtual events – a cue that those companies might be open to proposals for webinar sponsorships. Engaging in or at least monitoring HR tech marketing groups (there are Slack groups and online forums focused on HR tech go-to-market discussions) can similarly highlight vendors that are asking for recommendations on advertising channels, indicating they have budget to spend and are searching for options.
• Job Postings and Org Changes: Another indirect but telling data point – if an HR tech vendor is hiring multiple marketing roles (especially growth marketing, events marketing, etc.), it signals an upcoming push. For example, a startup that just hired a “Director of Field Marketing” and “Events Coordinator” is likely planning event sponsorships or their own events. Likewise, if a company recently got new funding (press releases on funding are public info) and then you see job posts for demand generation marketers, you can infer they will have fresh marketing budget to deploy. Keeping a watch on funding news (via sites like TechCrunch or industry newsletters) and immediately flagging those companies as hot leads for sponsorship outreach is a smart move – new funding often equals new marketing campaigns.
• Exhibitor/Sponsor Lists from Events: By tracking which vendors are sponsoring competitor events or publications, you can target them. For example, if you see that Vendor X sponsored three webinars on HR.com in the last quarter, they clearly believe in content marketing – you might approach them to sponsor on your platform as well, highlighting your audience or differentiator. Many events publish their sponsor lists (as we saw with the HR Tech Conference list

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). Compiling those across the industry gives a quick map of who spends on sponsorships. Vendors that repeatedly show up as sponsors (e.g., their logo at every major conference) obviously have budget and see value in marketing – they are good targets. Conversely, vendors who never sponsor anything visible might be harder to convince (or might be spending via other channels like purely digital ads).
Vendors Discussing Strategies Publicly: It’s also useful to note which companies (or their execs) are public about their marketing strategies at industry events or panels. In HR tech, there are sometimes panels or podcasts where vendor CMOs talk shop. For example, an “HR Tech Go-to-Market” panel might have marketing heads from a big vendor and a startup sharing what’s working for them. If on that panel the startup CMO mentions, say, “We’re focusing on community building rather than big trade shows this year,” that’s valuable intel – maybe you approach them not for a trade show sponsorship, but for a community-oriented marketing opportunity if you have one (like sponsoring a community meetup or online community). There’s increasing crossover between HR and marketing functions; even podcasts like HRchat interview folks like Mark Willaman (founder of HRMarketer) on how HR and marketing intersect
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– these discussions often reveal what HR vendors value in marketing.
AI Tools for Prospecting: AI can help sift through this intelligence faster. For instance, using natural language processing on social media, one could set up an AI agent to flag whenever an HR tech company’s representative asks about or mentions “sponsorship, webinar, conference, advertising” etc. This could be done via a trained model on LinkedIn posts or even scraping public Slack communities (where allowed). Another use of AI is predictive modeling: based on historical data of which vendors sponsored in the past, you could predict which similar companies (by size, funding stage, product category) are likely to sponsor in the future. If, say, most payroll tech companies of a certain size do webinars, then a new payroll startup hitting that size is statistically likely to follow suit – an AI model could output a list of “companies with high propensity to invest in webinars.” Many sales teams use such predictive lead scoring; applying it to sponsorship prospects is a clever angle.
Approaching HR Vendors – Recommendations Based on Past Behavior: Tailoring your approach to an HR tech vendor can dramatically increase your success in securing them as a marketing partner. Here are some best practices, informed by common behaviors and preferences observed in this industry:

• Leverage What They’ve Done Before: Research each target vendor’s past marketing activities and use that to frame your proposal. If a vendor has historically invested in webinars, approach them with a webinar opportunity front and center: e.g., “We noticed your webinars on XYZ have been very popular. Our platform can host a similar webinar for you, but reaching an even broader HR audience in your target vertical.” Show that you understand their marketing playbook. Vendors appreciate when you’ve done homework – it saves them time explaining their strategy. For example, if Company A always sponsors research reports, you might pitch, “We’re conducting a new research study on a topic aligned to your product – would you like to sponsor it?” Essentially, align with their known tactics.
• Use Data and Case Studies in Your Pitch: HR vendors are data-driven themselves when it comes to marketing ROI. Come armed with evidence of results from similar sponsorships. For instance, “Vendor X sponsored a series with us last year and saw 500 leads and a 20% conversion to opportunities.” Or industry benchmarks like, “Our average HR webinar sees 300 attendees, which is 50% higher than the HR.com benchmark.” If you have audience demographics, share them: “Our subscriber base is 40% HR managers, 30% HR executives, mostly in North America – exactly your target.” This appeals to the vendor’s analytical side. If you can, cite external references: for example, webinar attendance stats or click-through rates compared to other platforms (maybe use that HR Executive example – their sponsored webinar calendar is public – to show that your platform can deliver equal or better engagement).
• Highlight Synergies and Unique Value: Since many vendors get similar sponsorship offers, clarify what’s special about your platform. It could be the specific audience (as noted), the format (maybe you offer an interactive roundtable instead of a plain webinar), or additional benefits (like lead follow-up help, brand exclusivity, etc.). For instance, “We only allow one talent tech sponsor per quarter in our series, so you’d be the sole brand of your kind in front of our audience – a level of share-of-voice you won’t get elsewhere.” If the vendor recently talked about focusing on quality over quantity in leads (something one might glean from their marketing blog or statements), emphasize how your opportunity is more targeted or high-quality than generic options.
• Align with Their Marketing Calendar and Themes: Most HR tech firms plan campaigns around certain themes (e.g., open enrollment season for benefits tech, end-of-year performance review time for performance management software, etc.). Time your approach when they need a channel. For example, benefit tech vendors often push hard in Q3 before companies set new benefits in Q4 – pitching them mid-year about a fall webinar on benefits trends could hit at the right time when they are allocating budget. Also, use themes they care about: if 2025 is the year they’re pushing “AI in HR” in all their messaging, propose a co-branded webinar on “AI in HR: Trends for 2025” – basically doing some content legwork that aligns with their narrative. This makes it easier for them to say yes, because it fits seamlessly into campaigns they’re already running.
• Demonstrate Thought Leadership (Not Just Ad Space): HR vendors generally prefer marketing opportunities that also elevate their thought leadership, not just pure advertising. Approaching with a collaborative content mindset can help. Instead of “Buy this ad space on our site,” frame it as “Let’s work together to educate the HR community on [topic], with your company as the expert sponsor.” Invite them to provide speakers or insights rather than just a logo. Vendors have subject matter experts who love chances to speak (many vendor execs do webinars, podcasts, etc. regularly). If you give them a platform to showcase expertise, they’re more likely to see value and less likely to view it as a commoditized ad spend.
• Offer Flexible Packages and Pilot Options: Data might show a vendor hasn’t done a certain type of marketing before (e.g., a smaller vendor that’s never sponsored an event). They might be wary. In such cases, propose a pilot or a scaled entry: “We can start with a single sponsored article and, if you see good engagement, we have package options for a full quarter.” Lowering the barrier and risk can convert a skeptical prospect. On the other hand, if data shows a vendor is a heavy spender (sponsors every event under the sun), you might propose a bigger integrated package to stand out (since they’re already doing one-offs elsewhere, give them something comprehensive on your platform for efficiency).
• Reference Peers (Carefully): HR tech is a tight-knit industry, and vendors do observe what competitors are doing. Without betraying any confidences, you can reference in general terms that “Many of your peers in the HRIS space have found success in sponsoring research reports – we think a similar approach could work well for [Vendor].” Or if a direct competitor sponsored with you, and it’s public (like their logo on an event), it can be powerful to mention: “Your competitor [XYZ] has been actively marketing in this channel; our opportunity can ensure you have a strong presence as well.” This taps a bit into FOMO – no one wants to be absent where their rival is present. However, this should be handled diplomatically.
• Leverage AI for Personalization: When reaching out, use AI tools to quickly gather public info and personalize the message. For example, an AI summarizer could digest the vendor’s last earnings call or press releases to find mentions of marketing plans or target customer segments. Then you can say, “Congrats on your recent product launch targeting mid-market manufacturers – interestingly, 15% of our audience are HR leaders in manufacturing, which aligns well with your expansion.” This level of specificity shows you’re a partner, not just selling ad space. AI can also help draft these pitches in a tone that resonates (even mimicking language they use in their own materials).

Finally, keep in mind that HR tech marketing teams are often small and juggling a lot. Approaching them with a clear, concise proposal that ties into their goals and requires minimal extra work on their part will get the best reception. Use the trends and data – for example, you might note: “We see a lot of buzz about holistic employee experience platforms dominating the market
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; by sponsoring our upcoming report on employee experience, [Vendor] can position itself at the forefront of that conversation.” This shows you’re not just selling a slot, you’re aware of industry direction and will help them ride the wave. In 2025, HR vendors are seeking not just outlets to advertise, but partners who understand HR trends and can amplify their message to the right audience. By using data-driven insights to pinpoint who to approach and tailoring the offer to their demonstrated interests, you stand to build fruitful, long-term marketing partnerships with HR technology providers.
Sources:

• HR Technology Conference 2024 Sponsors (enterprise and emerging vendor examples)

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• HR Executive Magazine – Sponsored Webinars in 2025 (vendors investing in thought leadership content)

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• Workday “Rock Star” Campaign Results (65% boost in consideration from Super Bowl ad)

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• ADP “25th Hour” Campaign – brand awareness focus (illustrating big HR vendor ad campaign)

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• B2B Marketing Benchmarks (SaaS marketing spend ~8% of revenue median)

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; HR vendor guideline of 5–10% of revenue on marketing
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• Example of HR tech firm LinkedIn ad spend (>$900K/year)

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• Google Ads ROI statistic for software companies

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• AIHR report – HR tech market growth and algorithmic management stat

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• HiringThing blog – prediction that holistic EX platforms will dominate HR tech

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• Brandon Hall Group on UKG strategy (post-merger brand amplification priority)

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• Staffing Industry news – Darwinbox funding used for go-to-market scaling

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• Campaign Live/DesignRush – Workday’s award-winning B2B campaign success

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(Cannes Lions, etc.)

• Exploding Topics – list of emerging HR startups (Personio, TestGorilla, etc.)

explodingtopics.com
explodingtopics.com