Indeed is launching the “Jobs Need People” campaign, positioning AI-powered matching tools as a way to make hiring faster and more precise—while insisting the process still has to stay fundamentally human. The company’s chief marketing officer, James Whitemore
For a company built on connecting people to work, the line between technology and humanity isn’t academic—it’s the difference between a job match that feels helpful and one that feels cold.
That’s the tension behind Indeed’s new brand campaign. “Jobs Need People.” Produced with creative agency 72andSunny. the effort leans on warm images of workers across a wide range of job functions engaging with customers and colleagues. The campaign’s central message is aimed straight at the moment hiring is being reshaped by artificial intelligence: Indeed says its AI-powered matching tools help people and companies find each other. but hiring must always remain fundamentally human.
The company’s chief marketing officer, James Whitemore, put that balance in writing in a blog post announcing the new creative. “Jobs Need People” is, in his view, a reminder that AI can streamline the process while leaving the human element intact.
The campaign arrives as Indeed is also mapping out how marketers—and the sales teams they support—are expected to work in an AI-driven environment. Whitemore previously recorded a video interview with Business Insider while the campaign was still under wraps. and he spoke then about the tightrope his marketing team is walking between tech capability and human judgment.
He described three areas of focus for artificial intelligence in marketing. The first, he said, is helping refine audiences and tailor content using data more effectively. Indeed serves hundreds of millions of people across multiple countries and multiple industry segments. Whitemore said the goal is to get “more targeted. ” using AI to take first-party data—along with first-party data from partners and media companies—to build “hyper-targeted audiences.”.
The second priority is tightening the relationship between sales and marketing. According to Whitemore. Indeed is giving sales teams AI tools that help them understand what types of engagements customers are having with marketing content and programs. and then suggest next actions and follow-ups in response. He said it changes what a lead means, shifting it toward “real-time signals and alerts.”.
The third focus is internal: building AI skills inside the marketing function. Whitemore said marketing is one of the professions being impacted most significantly by AI. and he wants his team to be able to be fluent in AI. develop the right skills. and build their career as a “digital AI-savvy marketer.”.
He also pointed to another ingredient he believes can amplify marketing impact: fandom. Whitemore described fandoms as communities of like-minded people who are “very passionate about a specific topic. ” with a high propensity to engage with content. share it. and generate their own. Tapping into those fandoms, he said, is core to how he thinks as a CMO.
Indeed’s sports partnerships are now part of that playbook. Whitemore said partnerships with F1 tap into billions of people in the fandom. In Premier League soccer. he said the partnerships with teams including Brentford FC. FC Utrecht. and Eintracht Frankfurt will become bigger this summer with the World Cup in the U.S.
From there, the company’s focus narrows to a single, very public role tied to the tournament. As part of its broader initiative. Indeed and FOX Sports will announce the winner of a job search for the FIFA Men’s World Cup Watcher. Whitemore said it will be a real employee who will earn a $50. 000 salary to watch every game from a cube in New York’s Times Square.
When asked how a marketer thinks about all this. Whitemore also returned to his own career path—starting in sales before moving into marketing. He said he began his career in sales and later joined the product marketing team at IBM after someone told him. “Well. if you’re so good at marketing. you should come work in marketing.” He described himself earlier on as “mouthy” and pushy. telling marketing teams he didn’t like their content because it wasn’t working or resonating with customers.
Looking back, he said he thinks he should have been more confident in translating complex technologies into stories that resonate—especially for customers who may not be technologists. “It took me quite some time to believe in myself and my ability to tell those stories,” he said.
That personal framing echoes the campaign’s central claim. With “Jobs Need People,” Indeed is trying to reassure workers, employers, and marketers that AI can improve the match—but the pitch still depends on something the algorithm can’t fully replace: the human ability to connect.
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