Following up on its “Say No To Spec” initiative, Toronto-based ad agency Zulu Alpha Kilo has launched four new shorts poking fun at the speculative creative bidding process in new business pitches. Zulu Alpha Kilo believes there’s a better way for agencies and clients to find the perfect match.
In this video entitled “Spec Eggs,” we see what happens when a short order cook at a diner is asked for a free (spec) breakfast. The man requesting a gratis breakfast says that if he likes the meal, he will make the cook’s business his official “ROR” (Restaurant of Record).
Zulu Alpha Kilo founder/creative director Zak Mroueh directed the four new videos, including “Spec Eggs.”
Credits
Client Zulu Alpha Kilo/Say No To Spec Agency Zulu Alpha Kilo, Toronto Zak Mroueh, creative director; Guilherme Bermejo, art director; Nick Doerr, copywriter; Tara Handley, Daniel Kaplan, producers. Production zulubot Zak Mroueh, director; Albert Huh, Alex Oktan, DPs; Shasta Lutz, casting director. Editorial/Post zulubot Mike Headford, Jay Baker, editors; Roslyn Di Sisto, colorist. Audio Post zulubot Ian Reynolds, sound mixer; Stephen Stepanic, engineer.
When dozens of Klick Health team members said they wouldn’t be able to hug loved ones over the festive season, the agency turned to AI and other magic to orchestrate a series of sentimental, surprise reunions captured in its “Holiday Hugs” video. The heartwarming four-minute video, benefitting the D.C.-based Foundation for Social Connection (F4SC), parallels recent findings from a Maru/Blue Public Opinion survey commissioned by Klick.
The poll found 74 percent of Americans and Canadians won’t be able to hug at least one person they wish they could over the holidays. And like those in the video, survey participants cited geographical distance and loved ones having passed away as the leading factors preventing their hugs.
“I just wish I could really squeeze her right now,” says teary-eyed New York Klickster Kari Bocassi watching her AI-generated hug with her sister Marlene, moments before she bursts onto the set for a long in-person embrace. The siblings have spent the past 14 years caring for their mother since her Alzheimer’s diagnosis, but haven’t been together for the holidays since Marlene moved to Virginia. Similarly, Toronto’s Fred Duarte gets the bear hug of his life when his brother Rico, who lives in Brazil, walks into Klick’s production studio for their first holiday reunion in seven years.
Directed by James Cooper via Cooper Films, “Holiday Hugs” also taps into the fact that hugs don’t just make people feel better emotionally, they also have numerous health benefits. According to the National Institutes of Health, hugs can lower blood pressure and boost the immune system.
“There’s nothing quite like the warmth and reassurance of a heartfelt hug,” said Klick’s chief creative officer Rich Levy. “With ‘Holiday... Read More
