Seattle-based Zulily is very proud of the in-house work that goes into creating custom imagery and copy for thousands of products in its numerous online events every day. A series of new commercials plays off that pride by offering a behind-the-scenes feel to the company’s daily activity.
In one 30-second spot shared with GeekWire, a customer is shown interacting with Zulily on her mobile phone. The image she clicks on launches into about 20 seconds worth of footage from the Zulily studio — photo shoots and product decisions are highlighted. The spot ends with the customer pulling a dress she ordered out of a package.
“Here at Zulily, we think every day can be a new reason to smile,” a voiceover in the commercial says. “And a chance to discover something new, fresh and exciting.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8VIZmu2rrY
What’s exciting is that the commercials were produced at the company’s Seattle headquarters using a mix of real employees and local models interacting in the daily studio experience. Zulily hopes it offers a peek at what goes on behind the curtain at one of their favorite brands.
Three years ago, the 7-year-old company launched its first national TV ad campaign, shot in San Francisco with real Zulily members and their kids.
About a year ago, the company moved its TV production completely in-house a dedicated TV Producer (who previously worked at E!, Style Network, A&E and Lifetime) helped develop and structure four new commercials.
Debbie Kelly, Zulily’s director of offline marketing, told GeekWire that they are “launching into a test period of four weeks, which allows us to optimize the media by network” and the ads “will be running across a variety of Tier 1 broadcast and local cable networks during this time.”
The company also points out that the style of the commercials is aided by the use of a MōVI camera stabilizer, built by Freefly Systems out of Woodinville, Wash. Rather than shoot a choreographed single take, each vignette in the studio sequence was shot individually to allow for easier post customization and varied sequencing, Zulily says.