2021 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

CHALLENGE
For 72 years, The Advertising and Design Club of Canada (ADCC) has championed Canadian creativity with industry events, speaker series, student competitions and the annual ADCC award show. But with the onset of COVID-19, these could not go on.

The ADCC, which relies solely on revenue generated through events to fund all operational costs, suddenly found itself in danger of closing down.

To save itself and ensure its continuing existence for the Canadian creative community, the ADCC had to raise $75,000 in one month.

INSIGHT
This do-or-die moment required a considerable pivot.

Zulu Alpha Kilo began by examining the ADCC’S unique role in the Canadian creative landscape. It realized that especially for young creatives, the ADCC’s events were a memorable way to be exposed to the industry – both the work and the people.

Among industry veterans, it noted an incredible loyalty and fondness for the organization, due to the role it had early on in their careers. After months of being unable to gather in person, creatives missed the ADCC’s ability to bring the industry together, creating opportunities for people to connect, engage, and see great work.

But just because people couldn’t gather didn’t mean they were any less interested in doing so. If anything, the isolation imposed by COVID-19 only increased their desire for the kind of experience the ADCC offers.

EXECUTION
Zulu Alpha Kilo came up with the idea behind the “ADCC All-Nighter” – a 24-hour webathon to save 72 years of creativity. In the lead-up to the webathon, social media was the primary vehicle to spread the word.

For the webathon itself, the 24-hour schedule was filled with debates, interviews, and behind the-scenes stories of brilliant campaigns.

Light-hearted segments included a copywriter battle, the ADCC President reading the entire awards annual to his kids and a breakfast Q&A over Cheerios with Cossette’s CCO Peter Ignazi. They even brought ad legends Alex Bogusky and Dave Droga together for the first time ever to discuss how they helped shape modern day advertising.

RESULTS
In 24 hours more than 3,000 unique viewers tuned in, with an average watch time per segment of 29 min. Over 1,400 total hours were watched and the ADCC and its event received global press coverage in every major trade publication. More than $75,000 was raised, allowing one of Canada’s most important creative institutions to continue its important work.

Credits

Agency: Zulu Alpha Kilo
Creative Director: Zak Mroueh
Writer: Nick Asik, Jackson Kemp, Dan Cummings
Art Director: Jenny Luong, Michael Romaniuk, Vic Bath
Designer: Jeff Watkins, Vince Rozas, Zoe Kim
Client: Advertising & Design Club of Canada
Clients: Michelle Ovcaric, Andrew Simon
Account Team: Erin McManus, Nina Bhayana, Rob Feightner
Planner: Tim Hopkins
Digital Producer: Michael Oshell
Senior Producer: Rebecca Adams
Editor: Felipe Chaparro, Ashlee Mitchell, Jessie Posthumous, Noah Mroueh
Post Production Producer: Sarah Dayus
Post Production: Zulubot
Studio Director: Greg Heptinstall
Studio Artist: Ashleigh O’Brien, Jeannette Downes, Andrew Martin
Audio House: 6Degrees
Host: Christian Goutsis