Please Leave

Read the campaign story

WeTransfer and Stink Studios launched Please Leave in May 2019. Its apparently contradictory invitation asked people to step away from digital distraction and find experiences that might inspire their work. Thomas Ralph directed the central film, narrated by Roxane Gay. Stink’s account connects the idea to a broader creative-tool suite and a new visual language, developed with the brand’s own creative studio.

The work extended across shorter films, stills and a campaign website that brought together the story, product information and editorial collaborations. The message was not simply to abandon technology: WeTransfer positioned its tools as helping people move ideas efficiently so they could return to life beyond the screen. The opened sources describe this positioning and execution, not a controlled study of time saved, wellbeing or customer growth.

Editorial interpretation: the campaign challenges a common digital success measure. More time on a service is not always better if the customer came to finish a task. By welcoming departure, the brand can make speed and lack of friction feel like values rather than merely interface features. That promise is especially relevant when users work under deadlines and want a tool to support their work without becoming another destination demanding sustained attention.

Editorial interpretation: the tension is credible only if the product respects it. An advertisement about giving time back can become hollow when the service inserts unnecessary steps, confusing limits or aggressive interruptions. The creative lesson is therefore operational as much as verbal. A team borrowing the idea should inspect the actual journey and remove obstacles before celebrating its restraint. The most persuasive demonstration may be a completed task and a clear exit rather than a longer brand story.

Define the customer’s finish line

Write down what successful departure looks like for the specific task: a file delivered, an appointment confirmed or an export saved. Observe where customers hesitate after the main action appears complete. A useful service confirms success and explains what happens next. Do not mistake extra browsing caused by confusion for interest, or optimise an efficient utility as if it were an entertainment feed.

Make the promise visible in the interface

Review confirmation pages, notifications and renewal prompts against the campaign’s respect-for-time message. Remove duplicated requests and clarify necessary limits. Where a commercial step is required, explain it directly rather than disguising it as part of completion. A small improvement that lets people leave confidently can support the brand more convincingly than an expensive film about simplicity.

Separate useful return from compulsive return

A service should be worth returning to when a new need appears, not because it keeps manufacturing unfinished business. Measure repeat use in relation to real tasks and satisfaction. Offer notification controls that people can understand. Avoid making broad claims about mental health or digital wellbeing unless those claims have their own evidence and appropriate expertise behind them.

A small test for another brief

Proposed test: a small service business could redesign one task-completion page to confirm success, explain the next expected event and remove one unnecessary invitation to keep browsing.

Measure confidence that the task succeeded, repeat attempts caused by uncertainty and support questions. Track later voluntary return for a new task separately from immediate session length or page views.

Stop if simplification hides essential information, makes recovery harder, or reduces time on site by leaving customers unsure whether their work was completed.

• Interview users about when they feel a task is truly finished.
• Compare the current page with a simpler completion-focused version.
• Keep essential receipts, support access and cancellation information equally visible.