Hackers Don't Stand a Chance Against Zyxel Networks

IT and Tech is not a sector you’d necessarily associate with comedy (alright, the IT Crowd). But for most of us the day to day experience of IT involves screaming at the printer or bemoaning the WIFI and cursing the person responsible for it. 

Introducing… Zyxel Networks, quite simply the humblest wireless network company delivering the most intelligent and efficient networking solutions SMBs never knew they needed. With the launch of their debut EMEA advertising campaign, Zyxel Networks has set about celebrating the IT hero.  

Their efficient, set-up-and-go tech promises the solution to common networking dilemmas, with the no-nonsense tag line; ‘Work Smarter, Not Harder’. 

Figuring out how to simplify and creatively demonstrate the slick capabilities of  intangible cybersecurity and complex network management systems, was the challenge of Manchester production company, The Chase Films.  

Zyxel Networks gave creative freedom to The Chase Films, they had just two key requirements: the ads had to be both humorous and universally relatable. 

The result is a pair of stylised spots by director, Craig McLaughlin, that tell a sliding doors tale of two offices. One office, a dystopian world of bad choices…the other, a nirvana of calm productivity with Zyxel Networks systems in place. 

A straightforward concept on paper, but the execution was a little more complicated. In an age where we tend to rely on CG and Ai to do the heavy lifting, production found the most efficient way to create the ‘cutaway’ cross section affect of two opposing offices was to build a fully functional, practical set. 

This authentic approach to the film is most appropriate for a brand that is responsible for it’s entire product and software development, and is hands-on when it comes to  customer service. 

And it was not only the set that was entirely practical, so too were the obvious comedic 'stunts' with the use of a dummy falling out a window. It was a creative choice of  McLaughlin, who has a penchant for quirky, self-conscious humour, that spoke to the down-to-earth, fun sense of humour that Zyxel Networks embraces as part of its company culture.

“The campaign delivered an insight into Zyxel Networks itself and the company ethos.  We’re fun to work with yet we’re serious about delivering connectivity.” says Kevin,  director of marketing and GTM strategy, EMEA. 

The Nebula spot, currently airing, shows a typical IT guy who’s tribulations with tech become increasingly more painful, leading to a chaotic crescendo. Compared to his alternate self, who’s experience in an office equipped with Zyxel Networks, deems him a hero amongst his colleagues. 

“What came across well in the campaign is the how easy and reliable our products are.” says Kevin. “We spend a lot of time with our clients to understand how things go wrong and what we need to do solve that for them. We have seen these exact things portrayed in the film happen in the real world (well, not someone falling out of a window). But IT guys really are heroes and are fixing things in the background all the time. It’s our job to make their lives easier. And we wanted to empower them and celebrate them a little bit. That was the aim with this campaign.”  

Zyxel Networks’ intelligent products truly are that simple to use, maximising the incredible capabilities of ai, to alleviate the workload of IT folks in a range of SMB’s. This campaign provides a light-hearted and easy to understand solution to complex problems, with the intention of creating Network heroes across the globe.