KitchenAid mixes and matches Toronto’s Skyline with Zulu Alpha Kilo

Cristina Blanaru Ads, Creativity

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. The KitchenAid stand mixer is an icon of industrial design in its own right. However, in a billboard campaign on Toronto’s largest expressway, the brand is paying tribute to another, more local, design icon; the CN Tower, one of the tallest free-standing structures in the world

Entitled “KitchenAid mix’n match”, the billboard uses technology to mimic the ever-changing colours of the CN Tower’s lights. As the lights on the tower shift, so do the colors of the stand mixer.

As a brand that celebrates creativity in the kitchen, the billboard showcases the vast array of personalization options available with KitchenAid stand mixers. The brand hopes the innovative display will get Torontonians excited about the personalization offered by 30+ stand mixer colors.

“KitchenAid is all about unlocking creativity in the kitchen,” said Jacqueline Probert, KitchenAid Brand Manager, “this billboard is a playful way to show Torontonians how they can personalize their stand mixer to their style.”

Created by Toronto’s Zulu Alpha Kilo, the billboard uses a camera that detects the colour of the CN Tower and converts it into an XML feed. An algorithm uses this information to essentially provide trafficking instructions to Astral’s digital board instructing it to match the colour of the tower with one of KitchenAid’s 33 stand mixer colours.

“Behind the technology is a simple idea,” said Ian Simpson, CD at Zulu Alpha Kilo, “using only the image of the stand mixer we are able to capture some of the same magic that has made KitchenAid an icon of design.”

So as the CN Tower lights up to celebrate a Raptors playoff win or a holiday, the KitchenAid stand mixer will follow suit. From one design icon to another.

Production partner was Bounce Media, media was handled by Cossette media.

Credits

Client (Company): KitchenAid Small Appliances

Agency: Zulu Alpha Kilo

  • Chief Creative Officer: Zak Mroueh
  • Creative Director: Ian Simpson, Catherine Allen
  • Art Director: Michael Romaniuk
  • Writer: Patrick Godin
  • Account Team: Nadine Arsenault, Lisa Sousa, Skye Gandy
  • Agency Planner: Spencer MacEachern
  • Client: Jacqueline Probert
  • Agency Digital Producer: Marko Stevelic
  • Studio Director: Greg Heptinstall
  • Production Artist: Brandon Dyson, Steve Goode
  • Interactive Production: Finlay McEwan, Bounce Studio
  • Production House: Zulubot
  • Executive Producer: Tom Evans
  • Social Content Producer: Rebecca Wood
  • Production Coordinator: Jane Broadfoot
  • Photographer: Alex Wong
  • Social Media Editor: Cecilia Bernasch
  • Media Agency: Cossette Media
  • Media Agency Planner: Erica Goldfarb