Why Harry Rosen and Zulu Alpha Kilo Turned 2022's Marriage Mayhem into Wedded Bliss
With the worst of covid-19 seemingly being gone for good, life has returned to normal throughout the past year. This is especially true for the wedding business. After years of pandemic postponements, bells have been ringing louder than ever throughout 2022.
While this is great news for those looking to have the ceremony of their dreams - fully and safely attended by loving friends and family - in actuality, achieving this still might not be feasible. According to reports, weddings in Ontario were up by 46% across the year (making it harder to secure venues), while at the same time, these already expensive occasions faced an overall cost increase of up to 20%.
It’s for this reason that Zulu Alpha Kilo and Harry Rosen (Canada’s leading luxury menswear retailer) felt the need to get involved. With the launch of their ‘Marry Rosen’ contest, the two offered one lucky couple a stylish, paid for wedding on the rooftop patio of Harry Rosen’s flagship Yorkville store.
As such, on August 11th, Randy Coles and Justin Hughes-Jones found themselves married in Toronto, following their successful selection from the contest (which had run on Harry Rosen’s Instagram feed). With both grooms outfitted in designer tuxedos they chose themselves, the ceremony, as well as the events leading up to it were captured by Zulu Alpha Kilo’s Zulubot camera crew - documenting this joyous occasion and telling the world why, with nearly 70 years experience, Harry Rosen are the best choice for the big day.
LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down with the teams from Zulu Alpha Kilo and Harry Rosen to discuss how this campaign was brought to life.
LBB> Zulu Alpha Kilo was responsible for the development of the wedding idea. Tell us more about that! What was the brief?
Zulu Alpha Kilo> The beauty of this idea was that it didn’t come about as a result of a big client brief. Instead, it was a proactive idea from a passionate creative team with their finger on the pulse of current events. They had personal anecdotes and the awareness to understand what was going on in the culture around us, and how a brand like Harry Rosen could get involved and help solve a problem by playing to their strengths. As a brand who, for nearly 70 years, has helped men look and feel their best for their weddings, this idea was a natural fit for the retailer.
LBB> The campaign built upon research that found 2022 to be one of the busiest wedding seasons in history - with the cost of weddings potentially increasing by 20% or more across the year. What was the research process like? Did you find any other interesting data, and how did it influence the way in which you developed this campaign?
Zulu Alpha Kilo> Given the proactive nature of this idea, the creative insight it was born from needed to be validated. We engaged in desk research to ensure we had statistical proof that there was a problem with wedding backlogs post-pandemic, and because of that, a rising cost in weddings for couples looking to get hitched. There was a wealth of information out there that solidified our thinking. We found that there are expected to be 46% more weddings this year compared to 2021 (many of which are presumably larger), and as weddings boom due to the pent-up demand, there are inevitably shortages among venues and vendors. This made our idea of giving away Harry Rosen’s rooftop as a prime piece of real estate in downtown Toronto to host the wedding ceremony even more suitable.
LBB> Helping to bring a wedding to life is a bit different than a regular ad campaign. Where did you start when bringing this campaign to life, and how did the experience of running this compare to a more traditional advertising campaign?
Zulu Alpha Kilo> We started by developing an impactful and modern look and feel for the activation, as well as creatively mapping out how we wanted to play on social: from the initial competition announcement and receiving entries, right through to picking the lucky couple, fitting them in their incredible suits, helping the wedding live on the day of, as well as recapping the entire journey as a culminating content piece. Our clients at Harry Rosen were fantastic partners throughout the process, and we utilised their in-house studio and videographer resources to great effect. We also engaged renowned wedding planner, Rebecca Chan, who was responsible for securing vendors at short notice. It took a collaborative effort from everyone involved.
LBB> Why was a campaign like this right for your brand?
Harry Rosen> While this type of campaign was new for us, the idea was true to our brand because it continued to show how Harry Rosen will always help men look and feel their best on both their big day, and every day. The ‘Marry Rosen’ campaign was a unique way to showcase how Harry Rosen gives a truly unparalleled customer experience.
LBB> It was wonderful to see bits and pieces of Randy and Justin’s wedding in the spot. Tell us more about the decision to choose them as the winners! What was Harry Rosen looking for, and made them the standout pick?
Zulu Alpha Kilo> It was a time-consuming job to trawl through and read all the entries, as our ‘Marry Rosen’ winners were just one of many couples who have faced the challenge of finding the perfect place to celebrate amid unprecedented demand.
In the case of Randy and Justin, they summed up one such love story that had been knocked back by the pandemic. Not only did they struggle to find a suitable venue, but with one of them being a pilot, the feeling of uncertainty was exacerbated. Close family members also lived outside the province - making it even harder to get together. Despite this, they remained positive and resolute in their desire to get married.
LBB> On the subject of the spot, tell us more about that! How long did it take to produce, what went into making it happen, and were there any difficulties or notable stories that came with its creation?
Zulu Alpha Kilo> This was not your typical video shoot and production, as the wedding event was the hero (and technically our ‘launch’). We ensured that we had a small crew along for the ride, capturing content at every step - whether it was the couples’ fitting days, their preparation on the morning of the wedding, their arrival at the Harry Rosen Yorkville store, or the ceremony itself. This culminated in loads of fantastic content which our expert Zulubot editors pulled together to create the summary video - telling the world what we did. It took just over two weeks to edit and produce.
LBB> According to the press release, Zulu Alpha Kilo designed the look and feel, and supported the event with social assets. Please tell us more about this!
Zulu Alpha Kilo> We wanted the look and feel of ‘Marry Rosen’ to match the elevated and classic aesthetic of Harry Rosen, while landing a modern, youthful and energetic twist. To help do this, black was our hero colour. We used it as our main background and for imagery, and even the carpet when Randy and Justin walked down the aisle. We then incorporated neon elements and edgy florals into the design of the social assets - including in-store signage, window vinyls, CRM mail outs, and our landing page. From the bottom to the top of the store, we had elegant touches and signage indicating where guests needed to go, and letting everyone else know of the very special event. The vision for the cake even included a cool, architectural vibe that fit in with the rest of the design cues.
LBB> Tell us more about the wedding itself! What went into preparing for the big day? How did you choose vendors, how big was the ceremony, and did Randy and Justin enjoy the occasion?
Zulu Alpha Kilo> Since we had just over a month to pull off a picture-perfect day, we really leaned on Rebecca Chan to help us, and she did an incredible job. Not only did she take care of the logistics, scheduling and décor, but as someone who’s worked in the industry for over a decade, she also provided us with a great list of vendors for us to choose from.
Mint Studios was the location for the preparation before the ceremony, using six rooms (with a different atmosphere in each) for the wedding party to get ready in. They had individual photo sessions, first look and group photos, followed by a walk down the Toronto street where Randy and Justin had their first date. No detail was overlooked, and the guests enjoyed everything from a delicious vegan dinner to unforgettable florals, to a chic champagne wall. Of course, Harry Rosen outfitted the grooms and the wedding party. It was a small, intimate ceremony with 35 of Randy and Justin’s closest family and friends in attendance. The ceremony was beautiful, and it was such a special moment to witness them finally say, “I do.” They were overwhelmed with gratitude for the opportunity, and they both had a blast.
Harry Rosen> The wedding day was beautiful, and we’re thankful that we had perfect weather which allowed everyone to be out on our private patio. Justin and Randy had a fantastic time - enjoying the event with friends and family who flew out for the special occasion. It’s also worth saying that given the 35 person guest list, the event was fairly intimate - making it all the more special to have been there.
LBB> What has the response been like to this campaign? Were there any unique or memorable reactions from the public? If so, please tell us about them!
Zulu Alpha Kilo> This was not a paid media campaign, but we still generated over 49,000 organic views of the campaign content on Harry Rosen’s Instagram. The public response has been overwhelmingly positive, even if one entry was a former work colleague trying to get their wedding expenses covered. (Better luck next time!)
Harry Rosen> Our audience really enjoyed seeing all the behind-the-scenes and exclusive shots on our Instagram. In particular, they really enjoyed trying to guess which outfits Randy and Justin picked, and sent a lot of love their way throughout the whole process. We even had someone posting live on the night of the wedding, because they could see our private patio across the street from their window!
LBB> How did this campaign fit into Harry Rosen’s branding goals for both summer, and the long term?
Harry Rosen> Our objective with this campaign, along with helping out a deserving couple, was to show that Harry Rosen is the ultimate destination for wedding wear. Timing-wise it was parallel with our wedding campaign, allowing our team to go full-force wedding mode. We also had the opportunity to dress Anne, Randy’s best woman, in a ‘HAROLD’ tuxedo, showing off how unique and custom our ‘HAROLD’ line can be for both men and women.
LBB> What challenges have you faced during this project? How did you overcome them?
Zulu Alpha Kilo> This project took a massive effort from everyone involved. Given it wasn’t a planned campaign, it meant a small budget, spur of the moment resourcing, and commitments from both the Zulu and Harry Rosen teams. It had to be pulled off in and around existing marketing plans, and with no paid media. Despite this, we found a clever way to at least make one couple’s desire to get married an easy reality. All the puzzle pieces came together, and it was a beautiful event.
More specifically, on the day of announcing Randy and Justin as our winners, we learned that one was leaving the next morning for an overseas trip. Given they were being fitted in custom suits for the wedding with an immovable lead time, it meant we had to orchestrate their first fitting that very same night! Complete with expert Harry Rosen style advisors, a Harry Rosen store staying open after hours, and a Zulubot camera crew capturing key moments, we managed to pull it off.
On the day of the event, there was an hour-long power outage in Toronto’s downtown core. We didn’t know if the flagship store and the rooftop patio would be affected, and there was little flexibility in terms of rescheduling. Luckily, the power was restored, and everything went off without a hitch (well, other than the lovely couple getting hitched).
Harry Rosen>The biggest challenge was planning it all in under two months. Normally, when you plan your own wedding, you have all the say in what you get. For this event, we had half of it planned before the winners were even announced, so it was a relief that Justin and Randy loved what we had picked!
LBB> Is there more stuff coming down the pipeline for the Zulu Alpha Kilo/Harry Rosen collaboration?
Zulu Alpha Kilo> This particular activation was a one-off, given the relevancy of the wedding world around us at the moment. However, Zulu and Harry Rosen’s partnership continues onward. Stay tuned!
Harry Rosen> Always! In this partnership we are constantly working on new ideas. Our next big campaign is our fall/winter ‘22 line for ‘HAROLD’, our in-house brand. You’ll be seeing some new and familiar faces in this campaign!
LBB> Is there anything you’d like to add?
Harry Rosen> We would like to thank all the vendors and sponsors of this event, including: Rebecca Chan Weddings and Events, Toben Food By Design, Dream Weddings Canada, Purple Tree Photography, Detailz Couture Event Rentals, Chairman Mills, Fruitilicious Cakes, Little Party Secrets, Designer Dance Floors, Opening Night Flowers, Magic Moments Balloons, Rented Luxuries, Wellington Music, Lover Lettering, Jenny Zhang Fashion Illustrations, Mint Room Studios, and Allyssa Helm Beauty & Co.
