PA, one of the world’s leading consulting firms, asked us to create a campaign explaining the organisation’s notoriously complex offering to inspire clients and staff alike.

The campaign focuses on the firm's ability to bring a higher level of ingenuity to deeply challenging problems. 

We used stories of individuals who actually bring ingenuity to life at PA. Pairing real-life roles with artisanal crafts, we highlight the people that are working on the art of the possible.

Our research uncovered a sector awash with standardised messaging and generic visuals.  Category norms demand consultancy firms create communications that are little more than case studies on a poster. PA has far more to offer than dull statistics and talk of delivering on KPI’s.

Unlike so many consultancy groups, PA proudly hires and employs a wider portfolio of talent. 

Gone are the traditional drab swathes of box tickers and number-crunchers, and in their place are designers, scientists and engineers. A more interesting, interested and ingenious mix of experts working intelligently towards success for a radically diverse series of clients worldwide.

Many firms forget that they are hired for their mindsets, not just their tech-stacks. So bringing charm to a widely charmless category was not limited to the visual outcomes but also to our written approach. Well known sayings centered around peoples names added a touch of internationally understood humor that lifted communications away from the norm.

Rather than shoot traditional live action scenes we took a more ingenious route. After a meticulous set build, we shot stills with the intention of bringing them to life via animation. The resulting images work brilliantly in both static printed media and enlivened on digital screens. 

Unlike so much of the communications found in the sector, the tiny glow seen in the crystals, the swing of the keys in the backdrop all contribute to a more considered approach, thoughtful processes, innovative mindsets and attention to detail. 

A MORE INGENIOUS STRATEGY

While it is understandable that firms wish to showcase past successes in advertising — it’s a potentially deeply flawed approach in this sector. Historic consultative triumphs rarely connect to audiences looking for solutions in their own specialist fields.

A toothpaste company is not interested in what might have previously worked for a car firm. When companies go looking for help at this level, they are attracted to working with a wider compelling mix of experts — those people able to bring less literal and more lateral thinking to problems that have left their organisations confounded.

AN INGENIOUS APPROACH TO MOTION

Rather than shoot traditional live action scenes we took a more ingenious route. After a meticulous set build, we shot stills with the intention of bringing them to life via animation.

The resulting images work brilliantly in both static printed media and enlivened on digital screens. Final images are presented in a way that emphasizes thoughtful processes, innovative mindsets and attention to detail. The tiny glow seen in the crystals, the swing of the keys in the backdrop all contribute to a richer, more considered outcome.