Berkeley – October 16, 2026 -- Employee recognition platform Recognize ran 72 billboard plays in 24 hours on Oct. 15, 2026, across Times Square in New York and downtown Los Angeles, in its first coast-to-coast out-of-home campaign.
Campaign asks commuters "What's the point?" and answers with a rewards pitch
The 15-second spot opened with the text "Going to work? What's the point?" and closed with "Let's give you a point," plus a QR code linking to the campaign landing page. The Times Square spot ran once an hour. In downtown Los Angeles it played twice back to back across 24 thirty-second slots.
The pun refers to Recognize's product mechanics. Employees earn points when colleagues or managers recognize their work, then redeem them for gift cards, company swag and live-event tickets.
Gallup data puts U.S. employee engagement at 32%
The campaign leans on Gallup's State of the Global Workplace: 2026 report. It found that 32% of U.S. employees are engaged at work and that global engagement fell to 20% in 2025, the lowest level since 2020.
CEO and co-founder Alex Grande said the company spent a day asking "a question most people are too polite to ask their boss."
Inc. 5000 ranking of No. 3,974 backs a first national media buy
Recognize placed No. 3,974 on the 2026 Inc. 5000 in August, with 61% three-year growth. Co-founders Grande and Peter Philips started the company with a few thousand dollars. The company said it may return with a broader flight in a future quarter.
Recognize will follow the campaign with a live product demo on Oct. 22 and an Oct. 29 webinar on executive presence featuring communication expert Karen Laos.