Ramp, Brian Baumgartner Are All About Multiplication

Business gets fruitful real fast

The notion of multiplying one office worker into many identical employees—signifying increased efficiency and productivity—has become something of an adland cliché. For example, this May 2025 outing from HubSpot used that metaphor to fine effect. Now, fintech firm Ramp casts lots of Brian Baumgartners for 30 seconds of workplace silliness during the Super Bowl.

He plays an accountant. So, let’s examine both sides of the ledger.

Minuses: This scenario’s too familiar and amid worldwide layoffs, the approach feels off. Also, the U.S. version of Baumgartner’s legendary sitcom, The Office, aired its last episode in 2013. Through the years, we’ve seen soooo many variations on white-collar humor in that show’s style. Enough already!

Plusses: Brian’s too awesomely lovable to flop. The sight of BB held aloft by doppelgängers rocks. Dude delivers the funny. He drives home the brand proposition again and again and again and again. And again. Etc.

“Finance teams don’t need more hours, they need the hours they already have back. Ramp automates the messy parts of spend—receipts, invoices, approvals—so teams can move faster and focus on decisions that actually grow the business,” says Ramp CEO and co-founder Eric Glyman.

“When manual work goes away, it’s like your best accountant has been multiplied. And before the ad airs, we’re bringing that idea to life with a live experience around the Big Game to celebrate the finance teams who keep businesses running.”

The crew met some snags early on as they scouted locations.

“It became clear that suitable large-scale office spaces weren’t available, leading to the decision to shoot on a stage,” Alex Thomas, CD at VFX house Framestore, tells Muse. “While cubicles and flooring were constructed physically, no walls or ceiling were built.”

As a result, “every shot required some degree of seamless CG environment augmentation, including the addition of plants, artwork, notice boards, shelving and even functional elements such as air-conditioning outlets.”

The many Brians were created “through a carefully integrated combination of techniques,” Thomas says. “These included traditional motion-control passes, body doubles digitally manipulated to precisely match Brian’s likeness, head replacements and a proprietary machine-learning workflow.”

Radical Media’s Randall Einhorn directed the commercial. He’s no stranger to the cube continuum, having worked with Baumgartner on The Office.