Big egos are common in the ad industry and agency Zulu Alpha Kilo is playing into that concept with a campaign for the 100th anniversary of one of Canada’s top advertising awards shows, The Marketing Awards.
Established in 1922, The Marketing Awards is one of the longest-running advertising and design award shows, predating even the Cannes Lions by over two decades.
To mark its 100th year recognizing Canada’s top creative work, The Marketing Awards is offering to cryogenically freeze Canada’s top creative mind, turning someone into a creative popsicle to be unfrozen in 100 years.
A video promoting the (never going to happen) stunt states that everyone wants advertising immortality and now it’s possible for one creative with a big ego. The video imagines what the future of advertising will look like for the creative lucky enough to be frozen. It looks a lot like the present, but with robot interns and VR time sheets that “still suck.” Also, holding companies no longer buy small agencies, because they already bought them all.
The offer is open to past Gold Marketing Award-Winners, who can apply at CryogenicCreative.com. They’ll need to answer questions like, “How big is your ego on a scale from 1-10?” “How many Cannes yacht parties have you crashed?” and “Do you agree to be cryogenically frozen?”
Eligible candidates will have to have won a Gold Marketing Award at some point over the past 100 years, which eliminates global legends including David Droga, Susan Credle, Susan Hoffman, Jeff Goodby and Rich Silverstein, according to a jab in the video.
The campaign also includes a social video that takes the viewer inside the jury room to hear the judges passive-aggressively debate the merits of a campaign. Print and web banners poke fun at how long the Marketing Awards have been around, featuring headlines like “We’ve been around so long, our first annual cost 15 cents,” and “We’ve been around so long, our 1922 winners include the launch campaign for the front-lacing corset.”
Mary Maddever, evp and editorial director at Brunico, the company behind the awards, stated that the awards wanted to do something special to celebrate its 100th year. “This campaign pays tribute to the show’s history, while looking forward to the next 100 years of Canadian advertising,” she said in a statement.
The campaign was developed by Toronto creative agency Zulu Alpha Kilo, a company that is no stranger to poking fun at the awards process, including a recent one that spoofs how far agencies go to chase awards.
The deadline to enter the 100th Marketing Awards is February 18 and the annual show will take place in June.
The Marketing Awards has been a springboard for many internationally awarded Canadian campaigns including “Always’ Like a Girl,” Dove’s “Courage is Beautiful,” McDonald’s “Follow the Arches,” and Dove’s “Evolution.”
CREDITS:
Agency: Zulu Alpha Kilo
Client: Brunico Communications Ltd.
Agency: Zulu Alpha Kilo
CCO: Zak Mroueh
CD/Writer: Nick Asik
CD/Art Director: Jenny Luong
Writer: Marco Bouchard
Art Director: Michael Romaniuk
Designer Director: Dejan Djuric, Jeff Watkins
Clients: Mary Maddever, Lisa Faktor, Jennifer Horn, Natalya Chernova, Sonya Chitale
Account Team: Jaya Rizzi, Cosmo Haskard
Agency Producer: Ola Stodulska, Teresa Bayley, Jen Shapiro
Production House: Zulubot
Producer: Adam Palmer, Sarah Dayus
Post-Production Company: Zulubot
Editor: Brian Noon, Ashlee Mitchell, Felipe Chaparro, Sam Rose Phillips
Colourist/Online Editor: Felipe Chapparro
Audio: Pirate
Voice Director/Audio Engineer: Ian Boddy
Studio Director: James Graham
Studio Artist: Jeanette Downes, Mila Lukezich