Toronto's Zulu Alpha Kilo Wins Top Honor At 2016 Ad Age Small Agency Awards

MIAMI BEACH, Fla., July 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Canadian shop Zulu Alpha Kilo last night was named Small Agency of the Year at the 2016 Ad Age Small Agency Awards, the premier honors saluting outstanding independent shops with 150 or fewer employees.

For a complete list of winning agencies, click here: www.adage.com/smallagency2016winners

The winning agencies were honored at a ceremony in Miami Beach last night attended by more than 300 industry executives who attended the Small Agency Conference. Profiles of all the winning agencies will be showcased in the August 1 edition of Ad Age.

Named for the NATO Phonetic spelling of the agency's founder Zak Mroueh, Zulu Alpha Kilo turned out stunning work for clients including Interac, ParticipACTION and Cineplex, for which it created a charming short film called "Lily and the Snowman" that has been viewed more than 30 million times across multiple platforms, with a 9:1 ratio of organic views to paid views. It also netted 620,000 shares across social platforms. Moreover, the agency's resolve never to work on spec and its decision to resign its largest client -- and still thrive -- showed that Zulu Alpha Kilo's independent streak could also be good for business.  

"This recognition proves without a doubt that amazing work does not only come from large agencies, and that the caliber of creative from small shops is rising every year," said Ad Age Editor Ken Wheaton. "We had a flood of really excellent entries from many corners of the world and the judging was extremely difficult."

Integrated Campaign of the Year went to Humanaut for a decidedly U.S. marketer, LaFarge, Wisc.-based dairy company. The "Save the Bros" effort from the Chattanooga, Tennessee-based agency humorously gives musclemen a healthier option than protein shakes with the company's Organic Fuel.

Mexico City-based (anonimo) took home International Agency of the Year with innovative campaigns for Sprite and a local language school. To reflect Sprite's sassy personality, the shop turned a Christmas tradition on its ear and suggested a gift swap in which people give up presents they don't want to others that do. To help teach English to Mexicans, it dreamed up "Instaclass," Instagram-inspired flashcards, for Interlingua.

The Small Agency Awards were launched in 2009 by Ad Age, the leading global source of news, intelligence, and conversation for the marketing and media community, to ensure that the innovative campaigns and brand ideas generated by smaller companies receive the recognition they deserve.

The complete list of winners across the competition's 16 categories is:

SMALL AGENCY OF THE YEAR
Gold: Zulu Alpha Kilo, Toronto, Canada
Silver: DeepLocal, Pittsburgh, Pa.

1-10 Employees
Gold: Humanaut, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Silver: Reach Agency, Santa Monica, Calif.

11-75 Employees
Gold: Zambezi, Culver City, Calif.
Silver: Chandelier, New York

76-150 Employees
Gold: Proof, Austin, Texas
Silver: ISL, Washington, D.C.

++++

Northeast
Gold: Fake Love, New York
Silver: Badger & Winters, New York

Midwest
Gold: Solve, Minneapolis
Silver: Archrival, Lincoln, Neb.

Southeast
Gold: Breensmith, Atlanta, Ga.
Silver: Republica, Miami, Fla.

Southwest
Gold: Proof, Austin, Texas
Silver: Loomis, Dallas, Texas

West
Gold: Young Jenkins, Boulder, Colo.
Silver: Duncan & Channon, San Francisco, Calif.

Northwest
Gold: Wexley School for Girls, Seattle, Wash.
Silver: eROI, Portland, Ore.

International
Gold: (anonimo) Mexico City, Mexico
Silver: Mr. President, London

CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR--INTEGRATED
Gold: Organic Valley, Save the Bros
Humanaut, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Silver: Warner Bros. Be the Batman
Battery, Los Angeles

CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR--DIGITAL
Gold: Krispy Kreme, World's Tastiest Coupon
Baldwin&
Silver (tie): Stance "Shop With the Force"
Zambezi
Silver (tie): Netflix Socks
DeepLocal

CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR PRO BONO
Jesse's Deli --#JessesPricedOut
DCX Growth Accelerator, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Silver: Bridges Academy-- Educating the Exceptional
Terri & Sandy, New York

CAMPAIGN OF THE YEAR--B2B
Gold: Justworks B2B
Circus Maximus, New York
Silver: Braintree --Targeting Smart People
Noble People, New York

CULTURE
Gold: Connelly Partners
Boston, Mass.
Elite: Adlucent
Austin Texas

About Advertising Age
Advertising Age is the leading global source of news, intelligence and conversation for the marketing and media community. Ongoing, in-depth coverage of CMO Strategy, brand leadership, digital, social media, mobile, data-driven marketing and more is complemented by breaking news. The 86-year-old media brand also produces industry rankings including the 200 Leading National Advertisers report, Agency A-List and the annual Agency Report.

SOURCE Advertising Age