Former Zulu Alpha Kilo executive Wain Choi has launched a new independent agency this year, taking on the role of owner and chief creative officer at BLKW.

Incorporated back in the spring, Choi revealed the news to strategy this week along with the BLKW’s first work, that being with Korean medical laser company Lutronic. The agency’s goal is to offer creative design, social and strategic thinking, “anchored in humanity,” Choi says.

“The name BLKW [pronounced black and white] is driven by a core mission. It’s really to stand out in a sea of sameness, and by not being in the middle or in the grey zone,” Choi says. 

“It’s really about crystal-clear communication. It’s not really about the colour, but it’s really [saying] that you stand for something. It’s either hot or cold, but never lukewarm.” Choi adds that his vision for the company is that the work it produces will have humanity and stand for something. His approach will be to pull in the best talent he knows from across North America, Europe and Asia.

The ad exec has worked across North America, Europe and Asia, and in chief creative officer roles for such advertising agencies as Dentsu Brussels, Ogilvy Korea and Cheil Worldwide. In 2020, Zulu Alpha Kilo hired him as executive creative director. The key clients that he led at the agency were Subaru, Harry Rosen, Interac and Bell.

After working in agencies for more than 30 years, Choi tells strategy he joined Zulu Alpha Kilo because of its independence. But after more than three years at the agency, he was reminded of his original dream of opening his own shop, and realized now would be the time to do it.

“Launching a company, especially an advertising agency, I think it’s always a pretty scary thing,” Choi says. “But at the same time, I had [Lutronic] and they wanted to put me on a retainer for a full year. So I thought this would be a great way to launch a company and not to worry about it financially, and this will give me full confidence to launch it.”

Lutronic is a company that makes medical laser devices, headquartered in South Korea with regional offices in the U.S., Germany, China and Japan.

“Working with Wain is a genuine creative joy. The thoughtfulness and perspective he brings to the table truly helps elevate a project beyond the base requirements into tangible art, that focuses on not just what we are doing, but also what we want our audience to feel and take away from it,” Lutronic associate creative director Cesar Philips says about the partnership with Choi and his agency.

Choi revealed the news of his new agency timed to a campaign launched for Lutronic. The company’s positioning line at the time it approached Choi was “intelligent care,” he says. After working with the company for a few months, he proposed a new campaign titled “Forever you.”

“There’s a lot more humanity, and it’s really empowering,” Choi says. “Rather than talking about nuts and bolts and the product itself, what is the benefit for each individual? And even the voice, rather than being B2B, we switch [to] talking to consumers, rather than a business-to-business conversation.”