Our Chief Marketing Officer shares how a team of superheroes sparked a bold new way to explain the power of a PEO.Marketing isn’t just about flashy ads or chasing clicks. It’s about storytelling. It’s about connection. And more importantly, it’s about trust. That’s the mindset that led me to create The Propellers, a team of workplace superheroes on a mission to make our Professional Employer Organization (PEO) services not just clear but compelling.

Let’s face it - explaining what a PEO does can get technical fast. We wanted to break it down in a way that made it relatable, memorable, and, dare we say, fun.

What We Do

For more than 25 years, Propel HR has helped small and midsize businesses simplify the toughest parts of running a company - payroll, employee benefits, compliance, and Human Resources. In short, we take the administrative burden off business owners so they can focus on growth.

But here’s the challenge: we're not selling a product you can touch. We’re selling peace of mind. Expertise. Time back. Those are tough to package in a way that grabs attention — especially in a crowded digital space.

That’s when we realized our message needed a fresh approach. One that was unmistakably us. One that could make a busy business owner stop mid-scroll and think: These people get it.

So, what exactly is a PEO?

Simply put, a PEO helps businesses with the complex and time-consuming tasks related to payroll, employee benefits, compliance, and general HR. This allows them time to focus on growing smart and scaling fast.

Stay with me.

Better yet, because PEOs are able to bundle employees from multiple companies together, they can help businesses get access to better benefits, smarter tech, and serious compliance support — all at a cost that makes sense for their budget.

And research backs it up: Businesses that use PEOs grow faster, save more money, have lower employee turnover, and are less likely to fail than those that don't. 

The problem? Despite all of the incredible benefits, most small businesses still have no idea what a PEO is, let alone how it could make their lives easier.

Breaking Through the Noise

As a lifelong comic book fan, I saw an opportunity to connect what we do as a PEO with a superhero. After all, when you think about it, superheroes save the day by solving problems and fighting villains.

As a PEO, that’s exactly what we do every day for small businesses - saving the day in boardrooms and back offices. It was a natural fit.

And just like that, The Propellers were born - a full-fledged squad of superheroes, each representing a different part of our core PEO services.

Through vivid storytelling, these colorful characters help business owners and HR teams understand how we solve everyday workplace challenges.

"A PEO can help small businesses compete like a Big Business." 

-- Robert "Brax" Cutchin, Chief Marketing Officer, Propel HR

Meet The Propellers

Each character of The Propellers team embodies a key function of Propel HR’s services:

⚕️Big Benny. The Benefits Guru secures top-tier health plans and irresistible perks to attract top talent and keep employees happy.
🎯Super Payroller. The Payroll Powerhouse ensures accuracy and compliance, ensuring every paycheck is on time and error-free.
🤖Tech Titan. The Tech Whiz integrates HR technologies to streamline operations and maximize efficiency.
🛡️Wonder Human. The Compliance Expert shields businesses from fines and compliance mishaps.
💼Captain Propeller. The Fearless Leader utilizes the powerful bundling capabilities of a PEO to integrate payroll, benefits, and compliance into one seamless system.

The Villains of HR

And, of course, no superhero story is complete without villains, and every business has its share. 

The Propellers regularly battle foes like Red Tape (bureaucratic inefficiency), Compliance Crusher (regulatory confusion), Wage Wrecker (payroll mishaps), Interceptor (employee poaching), and Data Disruptor (IT chaos). And more to come!

Through colorful comic-book visuals and dynamic storytelling, we’ve made it easier to understand how our services protect businesses from potential workplace calamities.

The Heroic Launch

To bring the concept to life, we teamed up with marketing agency ALX Creatives, who pulled inspiration from vintage comics to create a team of vibrant superhero characters and a suite of eye-catching assets.

First came the internal rollout, complete with life-sized superhero cutouts, branded swag, and an animated video that got employees buzzing. The response was electric – employees instantly bonded with the characters, proudly embracing their inner superheroes.

From there, The Propellers made their public debut through a multi-channel marketing push that included:

The goal? To make it ridiculously easy to understand what we do and the many ways we help small businesses thrive.

More Than Mascots

At first glance, The Propellers might seem like a gimmick. But for us, they are so much more. They’ve become a bridge between the technical PEO world and the human side - the people behind every business we serve.

Most of our clients don’t have time to learn about employment laws, or chase the mountain of paperwork that comes with running a business.

But when we introduced them to The Propellers, suddenly, abstract services felt personal. They responded with enthusiasm and curiosity, leading to stronger conversations and new partnerships.

What also excites me is the feedback from business owners:

🗨️“Propel doesn’t just talk about support — they show up with capes!”

🗨️“Thanks to Big Benny, we can give our employees Better Benefits.”

🗨️“A PEO can save me how much?? Sign me up!”

🗨️“The Propellers makes HR easier — and fun.”

That’s marketing doing its job — not just getting attention but building relationships. We're connecting.  

And internally, our employees have embraced The Propellers. The superheroes have fired up our teams and helped us reinforce our own culture.

They have given our employees a shared identity, a sense of pride, and a reminder that what we do at Propel HR matters - helping small businesses succeed.

That’s pretty heroic, too.

Helping Small Businesses (Like Yours) Soar!🚀

The Propellers' campaign is working, and we’re just getting started. 

We're developing a comic-book-style brochure about our services, launching a swag shop of branded merch, and exploring new formats, more superheroes, more villains, interactive content, and maybe even a podcast. The possibilities are endless.

The Propellers are helping us reimagine how we talk about a PEO, our services and how small businesses experience them.

Because at the end of the day, every business — no matter how small — deserves a team of superheroes in their corner. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Robert "Brax" Cutchin, Chief Marketing Officer, Propel HR

Robert “Brax” Cutchin is the Chief Marketing Officer of Propel HR, a family-owned IRS-certified PEO that helps businesses simplify payroll, benefits, compliance, and HR. When he’s not building brands or writing superhero scripts, he’s helping small businesses grow smarter.

Learn more at ThePropellers.com and follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and TikTok.

About Propel HR. Propel HR is an IRS-certified PEO, a leading provider of human resources and payroll solutions for 25 years. Propel partners with small to mid-sized businesses to manage payroll, employee benefits, compliance, and risks, and other HR functions in a way that maximizes efficiency and reduces costs. For more information, visit propelhr.com