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Zulu Alpha Kilo

Harnessing The Power of Creativity

Zulu’s quick ascent in the industry is regarded as one of Canada’s great entrepreneurial agency success stories of the last decade. The independent shop has had remarkable success since its launch just five years ago, attracting some of the country’s most coveted clients, including Audi, Bell, Cineplex, Coca-Cola, Corona, Jack Astor’s, Interac and Workopolis.

Zulu has developed a reputation for transforming brands. Their first project out of the gate was a successful rebranding of Canada’s oldest and largest telecom, Bell. A rebrand for Workopolis, Canada’s number one job site, followed. That trend has continued through 2013, most recently with the transformation of Corona.

At times, it’s hard to pin down whether Zulu’s a digital shop, ad agency or design firm. The Toronto-based shop attributes a lot of their success to the strength of its multi-disciplined team and its commitment to true collaboration. “From day one, we’ve been a hybrid creative company,” says Zak Mroueh, Zulu’s founder and chief creative officer. Where most shops talk about breaking down barriers between departments, Zulu never had them to begin with. No walls. No offices. And most importantly, no departments.

“Designers, technologists, writers, account people, producers and strategic planners all work together as part of the same team to get to the best creative product – whether that’s a piece of social content, a TV ad or an immersive digital experience,” adds Mike Sutton, the agency’s recently-promoted president. Even the agency space itself is open concept with long communal tables that facilitate constant interaction amongst its close-knit staff.

Zulu’s creative philosophy is just one of the core beliefs that set it apart from other agencies. Another is the firm stance the independent agency has taken on speculative creative for pitches. “We’re proud to say that it’s been three and a half years since we’ve done spec work,” says Mroueh. “When an agency does work in isolation on a speculative basis, it’s not a true representation of the real-world possibilities of a strong partnership. For us, it goes against the commitment we’ve made to our current clients.” This has meant that Zulu has had to forego many new business opportunities to stay true to its beliefs.
Nonetheless, this has been another great year for the 65-person shop. Zulu has applied its creative magic to the innovative “Tweet To Taste” food truck activation for Jack Astor’s, a three-minute film for Coke Zero that enlisted NHL star Jordan Eberle to reenact a consumer’s hockey story, and the “Live Mas Fina” rebranding campaign for Corona.

For Corona, Zulu was tasked with developing a new brand platform that would appeal to a younger millennial audience. Quiet scenes of couples relaxing on the beach were replaced with the call to live life to the fullest. TV, digital and social media invite consumers to join the ‘Live Mas Finas’ conversation on the brand’s YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram sites. Sutton says, “for the last 20 years, Corona has been running ads set at the beach, so this is the first year that Corona left the beach. They actually had a fantastic year. Since the launch of the new campaign, we’re proving that the Corona brand can actually grow in a declining beer market.”

“From day one, we’ve been doing things our way,” says Mroueh. “Five years in, we’ve managed to stick firmly to our creative roots, harnessing the power of creativity above all else—and we feel like we’re just getting started”.