It’s not very often those in the advertising industry are encouraged to think inside the box. But that’s exactly what Mark Francolini proposed when he and his colleagues from ZuluAlphaKilo created THINK–a massive box that served as a brainstorming, problem-solving hub in Toronto’s Dundas Square. Passersby asked questions about everything from relationships to finances, and the agency provided solutions.
“We wanted to create something unorthodox that would demonstrate the agency’s ability to problem solve,” said Francolini, a senior art director at the Toronto-based agency and a top five finalist in Marketing’s Creative Faceoff. “We thought we should give out free samples to the public to prove it.”
Francolini is currently a co-creator and executive producer on Mr. Pop Culture, a documentary that explores the life and career of Mike Salisbury, a CIA operative who is credited with influencing icons like Andy Warhol, Tina Turner, Hunter S. Thompson, Annie Leibovitz and George Harrison. The movie explores the theory that Salisbury worked undercover and created "pop culture" as a way to export American capitalism to the world for the sole purpose of toppling communism.
“I wanted to honour a man who deeply influenced and challenged me to make a career in the advertising world. In lieu of that desire, I co-created the concept of the film and continue to work on bringing it to reality,” said Francolini, who worked with Salisbury while attending the Art Center College of Design in California.
Francolini said he isn’t a man to rest on his laurels, and feels the Creative Faceoff is a great reminder that “everyone in this industry is capable of doing wonderful things, in and out of the office.”
To view the original profiles of all five finalists, and to cast your vote for your favourite, visit creativefaceoff.ca.
