Meet the Ripplers: Emmy Quinn turned Rippling users into lifelong advocates

With tens of thousands of customers at Rippling, one thing had become abundantly clear: we needed a way to amplify their voices. When I transferred internally from product marketing to customer marketing, developing a customer advocacy program was at the top of my priority list. 

But I didn’t want to just build another run-of-the-mill customer advocacy program. At Rippling, we challenge why people do things the way they do, and then we do them differently. This is the story of how we built Wavemakers—a customer advocacy program unlike that of any other B2B SaaS company on the market—by creating a brand identity as powerful as the people it centers.

The making of a Wavemaker

Many B2B SaaS customer advocacy programs set out with the goal of championing the users who rely on their software to do impactful things. They want the people who choose their product to be seen as innovative—yet, the programs they build are inherently stale. Programs like Cisco Insider and Microsoft MVP leverage the exact same look and feel as the rest of their products, websites, and assets. They lack a distinct brand.

In order to prove that the people using your products are industry leaders, you need to build a community that the brightest minds are proud to join. Being associated with your program should say something about the caliber of professional they are. It should elevate their personal brand and earn them career credibility. We wanted the members of our program to be Wavemakers for life; regardless of where they went on to work, they would want to bring Rippling with them.

In developing Wavemakers, we kept coming back to how the program could convey the brilliance of its users. This was the north star that guided all our decision-making.

Setting strict nomination criteria

We knew that in order for this program to feel special, we had to be selective about who wore the title of Wavemaker. I orchestrated a nomination process where customer-facing teams identified and submitted their top Rippling users, and then we hand-selected the first cohort. We chose our 17 inaugural Wavemakers out of over 75,000 Rippling admins. 

What makes a Wavemaker:

• They’re in Rippling every day and know it inside and out. They jump at the opportunity to provide product feedback and play a role in not only improving our platform, but shaping it.
• They’re always looking for innovative ways to get the most out of Rippling. They are dedicated to driving business outcomes across the organization, not just within their function. 
• They’re eager to share their findings with the world and inspire others. They’re building the future of workforce management, not just sitting back and watching it happen.

Building a strong sub brand

We leaned heavily on design and visual identity to bring users’ stories to life. Our objective: craft a sub brand that people would ooh and aah at. By giving Wavemakers a distinct look and feel, we hoped that being a Wavemaker would come with a sense of ownership and pride. I haven’t seen a one-to-one example of a B2B customer advocacy program that’s quite as creative, intentional, and visually compelling as Wavemakers. Brand identity is our biggest differentiator.

From brief to build 

I worked closely with Patrick Iadanza, Greer Chapman, and Tina Mullen on Brand Studio, our in-house creative team, to turn our aspirations for Wavemakers into reality. First, I put together a brief outlining the program and its goals. The Brand Studio team took that brief and began spinning up their initial concepts. Inspiration came from sports rosters and tech hackers—people at the top of their game.

Bringing Wavemakers to life

The direction we landed on struck the right balance across our core Rippling brand principles: premium, powerful, and a touch of playfulness. We leaned into premium and powerful imagery to represent the transformational leadership qualities of Wavemakers, while simultaneously highlighting the diversity of those individuals through a playful use of color. 

Key visual identity elements

• Future-forward: Dark, rich 3D waves flowing through the background, symbolizing transformation and forward movement.
• Human-centered: Vibrant use of color representing optimism and humanity. Diverse facial expressions across Wavemaker portraits showing range of personalities and industries.

The brand extends across a variety of assets, like event slide decks, signage, swag, video testimonials, and more. Wavemakers’ brand identity will grow with the program for years to come. 

Setting up Wavemakers for success

Here are a couple of ways I set up Wavemakers to “make waves” right out of the gate. 

Building momentum at launch

One of the most impactful decisions we made was to fly out the inaugural cohort of Wavemakers to San Francisco for an in-person launch event. We kicked off with a day full of sessions on Rippling’s business philosophy, 2024 strategic initiatives, and Wavemaker success stories, along with plenty of time to network and celebrate the launch of the program. This event gave Wavemakers the opportunity to build relationships with each other and establish a community they’re excited about amplifying. 

Identifying quick, early wins

I compiled a list of activities that would appeal to a wide array of Wavemakers, something for everyone. Lining up these options ahead of time ensured Wavemakers were able to start participating immediately.

For those eager to build their personal brand and become known for their expertise, I identified dozens of speaking opportunities throughout the year, from large conferences to intimate fireside chats. And those who prefer sharing their stories through writing or 1:1 chats can participate in case studies, analyst calls, and community conversations. 

What’s next for Wavemakers?

The program officially kicked off in February 2024, and we’re already seeing its impact. Wavemakers have been speaking at events, filming video testimonials, sharing their stories on LinkedIn, and more. Over the course of this year alone, you’ll see Wavemakers participate in over 100 activities. 

The program is going to grow, too. The inaugural cohort consisted of HR and People Ops leaders, and I recently extended the program to include Finance and IT leaders. My top priorities are maintaining the quality of the Wavemaker experience and ensuring that every type of leader across HR, IT, and Finance feels a sense of belonging.

Life at Rippling: Get to know Emmy

Works from: Denver Colorado
Rippler since: January 2021

Why I joined Rippling

A lot of SaaS companies were having an identity crisis when COVID hit. They were questioning: how do we operate in this new world? How do our goals change? How are we going to win? 

When I was considering a job change in late 2020, Rippling had the clearest definition of who they were, what they were going to build, and how they were going to achieve success. Above all, they had a visceral desire to win. That was the company I wanted to join and is still the company I know today. 

My biggest learning at Rippling

It’s no secret that Rippling has an intense, work-hard culture. At times, it can be exhausting or even frustrating, but I’ve learned that those are the times I grow the most. Whenever I’m in those moments now, I try to embrace the feeling and remind myself that I’m accelerating my career. As a young professional, now is the time to work my hardest and set myself up for long-term success.

Rippling has given me the opportunity to learn and grow in the areas I’m most passionate about. As a product marketer, I launched products across our HR, IT, Finance suites, in addition to bringing our entire product suite to market in multiple countries. And most recently, I made the switch into customer marketing where I’m building the function from the ground up.

My favorite Rippling leadership principle

Go and see: Rippling leaders spend time in the boiler room. Instead of living in spreadsheets, they study individual successes and failures. They know that firsthand observation is the most powerful kind of data.

It’s probably no surprise that I love working with customers. There’s no way to truly understand who a customer is, what makes them unique and successful, and what their needs are without working with them directly. That’s why “Go and see” is my favorite Rippling principle—every employee is empowered to work directly with customers every day.

Memorable Rippling moments

• Wavemakers kick-off. We hosted a live in-person kick-off where we spent the day introducing the program, networking, and celebrating the start of an amazing program. 
• Marketing offsite in San Francisco. The whole department flew to SF, and we spent two days doing team building activities. My favorites were the ultimate scavenger hunt in North Beach and a full day wine tasting in Sonoma.   
• Visiting the EMEA team in Dublin and London. I got to spend 10 days overseas working with colleagues, meeting with local customers, attending the Gartner ReimagineHR conference, and embracing the European lifestyle. 

When I’m not building Rippling, I’m…

• Traveling. I’ll go anywhere—city, beach, mountains, lake. I love new experiences. 
• Playing pickleball & backgammon. Two activities that my husband and I can compete fiercely in together. 
• Skiing. There’s a reason I live in Colorado!