Ever since he first opened his agency Zulu Alpha Kilo in 2008, president and executive creative director Zak Mroueh has yearned for an automotive account. Now he’s got his wish.
Continuing a hot streak that has seen it win several major accounts including Coca Cola, Corona and restaurant chain Jack Astor’s, Zulu is now the new creative agency of record for Audi Canada. The win, which wasn’t widely announced, came in January. Zulu beat out five other shops. The incumbent agency, Lowe Roche, pulled out of the review.
Zulu has been invited to pitch on several other automotive brands over the years, including the global assignment for an unnamed European company, but had turned all of them down.
Audi, though, was different. In fact, in a classic case of serendipity, Mroueh had just purchased one of the company’s cars before being asked to pitch the assignment.
“Audi was just the perfect fit because we believe in the product and we genuinely felt a chemistry with the people we’d be working with,” he told Marketing.
“The Audi brand has done an amazing job of positioning itself,” he added. “Their success speaks for itself [and] we’re excited to help continue that legacy.”
For Mroueh, the Audi win is validation of the agency’s unique approach to new business. “To have a brand like Audi as a client is a major source of pride for any agency,” he said. “They have a legacy of doing amazing work.”
In a statement, Audi’s director of marketing and product management Mike Briscoe said that the company was searching for an agency partner capable of taking it to “the next level.”
“We found that in Zulu,” he said. “Throughout the entire review process, we were impressed with the strength of the Zulu team, their unique approach and their understanding of the luxury segment.”
Zulu has hired former BBDO account director Adam Lang as group account director, and has also filled what Mroueh characterizes as “various other positions” in the creative and account service areas. Lang has extensive automotive experience, having worked on both the Mercedes Benz and Mitsubishi Motors of Canada business while at the Omnicom-owned agency.
Zulu will partner with Montreal agency Tank, with which it currently collaborates on several other assignments including Corona and Workopolis, on work for the Quebec market.
Mroueh wouldn’t divulge when Zulu’s first work for Audi would appear, or what form it will take. The automaker unveiled a dedicated YouTube channel last year, at which time Briscoe told Marketing that its key audience is 45 to 55 with a relatively high household income.
