YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Most people have seen or heard this commercial – possibly dozens of times – in the past three months.
It has a catchy jingle with a chorus that goes:
“Build your team,
Build it sooner.
Meet your match
On ZipRecruiter.
The final line, sung in falsetto, is the kicker:
“Try it, free!”
The ad is frequently played on local radio and television stations, and it surfaces on social media. Many folks are familiar with it.
But what they might not know is that its main character is Youngstown native Joshua Triplett.
He’s the singer in the green jacket, leading the band that’s performing the upbeat jingle in a business office.
Triplett, who has lived in Los Angeles for years, has appeared in over 150 national commercials, including some that have aired during past Super Bowls. He also has had roles in movies and is the singer in a band that plays in LA clubs.
But the ZipRecruiter ad has been the most dominating project of his career. It’s been going strong for three months, thanks largely to a jingle that has become an earworm.
Triplett has been hearing from surprised friends and family in Youngstown who saw him in the commercial.
“They’ll see the ad and then send it to me on Instagram or Facebook, or tag me in it,” he says during an interview from his LA home.
But what really stands out to Triplett has been hearing himself sing the jingle on the radio. That is an ego boost that he had never before encountered.
“I’ve been doing this for so long with the TV ads, but hearing myself on the radio was an added bonus,” he says. “Growing up, you would hear all the jingles and memorize them and sing along to them.”
In the era of streaming, when every listener can control what he hears, the element of surprise is lost, Triplett says. But it’s still in effect with radio, because you have no control over what comes on next.
Triplett vividly remembers the first time he heard it in his car.
“I dropped off my kids at school one morning, and after I did, it came on,” he recalls. “That feeling of hearing yourself on the radio, even if it’s not your own song, is a feeling of joy, and I was fortunate to capture that moment: ‘Hey! That’s me!’”
About the Actor
Triplett, 38, is a graduate of Rayen High School, where he was part of The Youngstown Connection song and dance troupe for city students.
He moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in music and still occasionally does gigs in local clubs. He released his debut album, “The Pursuit of Happiness,” last year.
But despite his singing background, acting in commercials, and in guest roles on television series and in films, became his mainstay.
Triplett most recently had a key role in the faith-based film, “47 Days With Jesus.” He has also appeared in “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Raven’s Home,” “The Rookie” and “The Neighborhood.”
The ZipRecruiter ad has been his most high-profile project so far. But Triplett is also fond of it because it allowed him to show off all of his talents: singing, acting and dancing.
“I’ve done a lot of commercials, including some Super Bowl spots,” he says. “But this one is the most popular, and it’s a really cool spot. I’m singing as the lead singer of the band.”
It’s so popular that ZipRecruiter posted the song on Spotify, with the band – which was put together exclusively for the ad – dubbed The ZipRecrooners.
“I had been asked [in past interviews] if it was a real band, and I was like, ‘no, but we might have to drop another single’,” he says, citing the popularity.
The ad is aimed at the folks who do the hiring for a company. Its goal is to take a stressful task – finding the right person to hire – and make it exciting.
ZipRecruiter claims to make the hiring process simpler, faster and more human, according to Mike Barber Sr., creative director for the company.
The ad was shot in October in Vancouver, Canada, which is a production hub. The song and the ad were created by ZipRecruiter’s in-house marketing department.
Triplett won his role after an audition. The ad’s director, he says, allowed him to share his creative input and encouraged him to “become” the character.
The actors were asked to deliver a fun vibe but without resorting to comedy.
“It was tough to do it without being cheesy or corny,” Triplett recalls. “I had to find that balance of authenticity for this character. We’re singing and dancing in a workplace, but had to make it look like it was real and not this fantasy world. I think the director did a good job of balancing it. And he kept us all very grounded, while maintaining the high energy.”
The instructions for those who auditioned called for bringing an R&B-funk musical sound, like that of Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak.
“They gave us the lyrics at the audition and basically said, ‘make up the song and just sing it’,” Triplett says. “So I made up my own melody, which was not good at all, but their script writers and music producers took care of that part.”
Creation and Reaction
The song was created through a collaboration between ZipRecruiter’s internal creative agency and OTIS, a music design collective from Australia.
“From the start, our marketing team had a clear vision for both the sound and the story,” says Barber, of ZipRecruiter. “Our team wrote and storyboarded the commercial, then brought in artists to help us bring the sound to life.”
The company wanted something that didn’t feel like a typical hiring ad – something memorable and engaging.
“The idea was to take a process that can sometimes feel transactional and make it feel human and even a little joyful,” Barber says. “The jingle plays a big role in that. It’s catchy, but it also tells our message that hiring can be easy, and even enjoyable, in a really ‘sticky’ way.”
The reaction to the ad has been very positive.
“We’ve been very encouraged by what we’re seeing so far,” Barber says. “The fact that people are seeking out the song and engaging with the campaign beyond the initial ad tells us it’s breaking through in a way that most ads don’t.”
The ad campaign was designed to be flexible. Additional versions were created with faster run times.
“The shorter cuts let us highlight different parts of the message depending on the audience or the platform,” Barber says. “It also allows us to stay present on different shows or platforms without feeling repetitive. People might recognize the campaign or song, but they’re hearing and seeing slightly different angles each time.”
A Mahoning Valley-based marketing expert says the ad is not only effective, but a feather in Triplett’s cap.
“This is a great example of another Youngstown-born talented individual having a celebrity factor to him,” says Rob Palowitz, president and CEO of Palo Creative. “[Triplett] is versatile, showcasing both his singing and acting talent.”
Palowitz also salutes the screen advertisement, saying it effectively communicates the company’s message.
“ZipRecruiter’s branding is cohesive, with its signature green and subtle website visuals reinforcing the core value proposition, which is making it easy to hire new talent,” Palowitz says. “This addresses a significant challenge faced by businesses across all industries: finding and hiring qualified talent. The ad is trying to speak to that in a fun and interactive way.”
The moniker given to the band underscores the brand in a subtle but effective way, he notes.
“‘ZipRecrooners’ is a fantastic play on their name, associating it with a crooner, which is a musician who sings in a smooth and sentimental tone,” Palowitz says, “and Joshua certainly fits the bill.”
What’s Next
Aside from his acting career, Triplett has two other irons in the fire: musician and filmmaker.
“My last show was at the House of Blues in Anaheim, and it was a great crowd,” he says. “I get to perform my original music.”
His album tells the story of his life, from meeting his wife to becoming a father. “It’s essentially my diary,” he says.
Triplett’s daughter, Jaidyn, is also a musician and an actor. She has appeared in Nickelodeon’s “iCarly,” performs regularly for middle-school audiences and recently released her own debut album, “Young Girl with a Big
Dream.”
Triplett’s next project will bring him back to his hometown, where he will shoot a feature film that he has written.
After hosting a premiere screening of his film “47 Days with Jesus” at a Boardman theater in 2024, he was so fired up by the support that he wanted to do more for his hometown.
“I just loved the energy that I got from [Youngstown],” he says. “I had been trying to figure out what I can do for the city, so I wrote a film that is for the city, to be shot in the city and to be about the city.”
The film, “Wally Wally Boom Boom,” is about an urban legend – a mysterious man who can be a danger to anyone who spots him.
“Everyone in the city pretty much has heard about him,” Triplett says. “He’s like a ‘Jason’ or a ‘Candyman’ character.”
The film will be part fiction and part reality, and play like a documentary. He hopes to start shooting this summer and release it before Halloween.
“What’s cool about this story is some people say they had encounters with him,” Triplett says. “Some remember seeing him or being chased by him. Like me. But then again, I’m like, ‘Did that really happen? Or is that just my imagination making it up to fit in with the other stories?’ So there’s a really psychological thriller aspect to it.”
The story of Wally Wally Boom Boom might be a tale that gets passed down from one generation to the next, he says.
The film will be Triplett’s first. He intends to bring in a professional production crew to shoot it and will screen it in the city when it is complete.
“I’m not trying to make some little independent film,” he says. “I want this to be top notch.”
Pictured at top: Joshua Triplett, a Los Angeles-based actor and musician who hails from Youngstown, is at the center of the ZipRecruiter advertisement.
