To encourage day trips to Niagara Falls, the agency created the “Plan to be Spontaneous” campaign, focusing on the fact that the Falls make a great destination for friends and couples looking to bring new adventure into their lives.
The clients knocking on Zerotrillions’ door say a lot about the agency’s work. “Our clients tend to be in a moment of change, whether that’s a new market entry or product launch, or a strategy they’ve established that isn’t quite working,” says Aubrey Podolsky, global CSO and managing director of the agency’s Toronto office.
“Their problems require more than delivering against comms briefs that are part of a recycled marketing calendar. So we build them a unique program from the ground up, from consulting, through product and brand strategy, creative, PR and media. There’s too much friction for these functions to operate optimally while being managed by five partners. We’ve built a creative services stack including these competencies and custom processes and platforms necessary to deliver. It really is the ideal way.”
To create excitement for the 4th season launch of its popular comedy Upload, Prime Video worked with Zerotrillion on an influencer and earned media campaign.
Founded in 2019 by Alex Paquin and actors/producers Robbie Amell and Italia Ricci, Zerotrillion’s goal is to help clients be the most ambitious versions of themselves, and counts brands including Amazon Prime Video, Destination Canada, car-sharing app Turo, Choice Properties, CNIB Foundation and Niagara Falls Tourism among its clientele.
Zerotrillion’s end-to-end approach is exemplified by their work for luxury brand Grown Brilliance, from brand strategy, design, and advertising to retail design, including their Beverly Hills location.
Paquin credits the Toronto team’s strategic planning for consistently delivering results, implemented and amplified by the 40-plus staffers across a global footprint including New York and Amsterdam, with each office contributing a unique strength. New York offers an outsized capacity in their design studio, and Amsterdam in 3D animation, motion design and VFX. Podolsky points to the agency’s ongoing work with Niagara Falls as an example of a ground-up refresh.
Zerotrillion won the account against 35 other agencies as the tourism board looked to chart a path out of the pandemic. Recognizing the threat to visitation to the natural wonder, particularly among Americans, the agency looked at consumers’ evolving motivations for travel to guide its strategic approach, and ultimately delivered across the creative services stack, deploying strategy, advertising, content production, PR, and paid media to help drive growth. As a result, Niagara Falls was the fastest growing Canadian tourist destination last year.
For Canada’s presence at the WSJ Future of Everything conference, Zerotrillion created immersive video content and designed Canada’s installation.
“A lot of tourism work has been unsuccessful because they lead with the place, not the mindset of potential travelers. They say something to the effect of ‘discover,’ if they want new people, or ‘rediscover,’ if they want the same people back, and then they put up a nice scenic picture,” Podolsky says. “Post-COVID, the mindset had shifted to wanting reconnection – finding a place that you could reconnect with somebody that was close or affordable.”
Since winning the account, the shop has executed a number of acclaimed campaigns, most recently inviting tourists to “Plan to be Spontaneous.” Targeting couples and friend groups, the campaign builds on the theme of reconnection, encouraging travelers to take an impromptu trip to the Falls as a respite. The campaign has delivered beyond expected hotel booking KPIs.
A unique perspective, and a key driver of Zerotrillion’s success, is its entrepreneurial spirit. The shop’s investment arm, Zerotrillion Ventures, has launched Amsterdam-based sustainable clothing brand Veld and financed Toronto-based restaurant SweetChops, indie photo exhibit and documentary “Dutch Candy” exploring black-market branding of ecstasy and invested in Canadian inclusive brand Alder Apparel.
Zerotrillion created a brand launch campaign for the new women’s wearable health device Evie, which promises to track everything from sleep patterns to heart rates to menstrual cycles. The hero spot features a highly choreographed dance set against an innovative LED virtual production stage.
Meanwhile, the agency’s entertainment division is readying its first project and while details are still under wraps, Podolsky says it will include tie-ins to some of Zerotrillion’s clients. The overarching goal is to showcase the agency’s power and potential in bridging the advertising-entertainment divide. “If we’re going to put all this talent, passion and creativity into making things, it feels like a shame to only create ads that interrupt people,” adds Paquin. “If we can make things that people use to express themselves or be entertained, we want to be putting our resources, passion and talent into that as well. And while Paquin feels they wield an unfair advantage in winning over clients that see the value in working with an agency that understands what it means to be responsible for the bottom line.
“The biggest selling point for us is – we make things people want to consume, and we can do it for you too.”
Aubrey Podolsky
Managing director & CSO
aubrey@zerotrillion.com
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