There is a lot of talk about the isolating effect of screens. But it’s not all true. There’s the text to your mum and dad. The family gathering captured over a Ring camera. The forgiveness message sent to a loved one. These small moments bring us closer together, Bell notes in its campaign, Connection Is Everything,  by Zulu Alpha Kilo.

Screens, and the telcos that power them, facilitate essential human connections too. The campaign underlines Bell’s dedication to helping individuals and businesses forge meaningful relationships with each other, their communities, and the wider world.

“Bell is built on a long history of commitment to empowering stronger human connections,” stated Devorah Lithwick, senior vice president and chief brand officer of Bell. “This foundational idea is at the core of Connection Is Everything. Emphasising that shared humanity as the focus of our refreshed brand platform honours our legacy, embodies who we are today, and looks toward the future with a distinctly personal perspective.”

The refreshed platform’s launch campaign lives across OOH, social, and film. The film spots, shot in a loose, spontaneous style by director, Vincent Haycock, display Bell telecommunications offerings through the lens of humanity and authenticity. The choice to use Bell products as creative storytelling devices, products that facilitate both meaningful and everyday connections in our daily lives, across multiple unique scenarios gives the work a modern POV rooted in culture rather than advertising.

The full campaign includes 12 short films highlighting small moments in life, from starting a new business to putting the kids to sleep, from asking a loved one for forgiveness to welcoming your angsty teen home. Ther work locks up with a branding device showing two characters shaping the final two characters to complete the word, Bell. The visual summary links the Bell brand to each moment of connection. In addition to the short films, Connection Is Everything introduces a modernised visual system as part of the brand’s first new platform since 2008.

“Bell’s previous brand platform lasted for 17 years when we introduced our first design language for Bell into the world,” commented Stephanie Yung, chief design officer at Z.A.K. “We wanted to take its strong brand equity forward and modernise it. The new look and feel are simple, but confidently so, and a position that only a leader brand could take.”

Simplifying the iconic Bell letterforms with a focus on the SymBell as a central graphic element, retains the brand’s equity while moving it forward to emphasise a feeling of warmth, approachability, and confidence. The resulting modular design is not only fresh, but adaptable, ensuring flexibility and scalability across all digital and physical touchpoints.

“As much as technology is at the core of this idea, the lens is refreshingly human-first, and this drove every creative decision,” stated Jenny Glover, chief creative officer at Z.A.K. “What we do with technology, what it makes possible, and how it connects us every day is what Bell has always been about.”

Credits
Client: Bell
Client Team: Devorah Lithwick, David Kennedy, Peggy Paré, Linda Di Luzio, Julie Baillargeon, Francois D’Amour

Agency: Zulu Alpha Kilo
Chief Creative Officers: Jenny Glover, Brian Murray
Chief Design Officer: Stephanie Yung
Creative Directors – Copywriters: George Ault, Marco Buchar, Dane Boaz
Creative Directors – Art Directors: Jacob Gawrysiak, Kevin Sato, Juan Torres
Design Directors: Jeff Watkins, Damian Simev, Trong Nguyen
Designers: Gabe Santiago, Ana-Marija Matic, Dejan Djuric
Account Team: Jaya Rizzi, Ela Profka, Ali Beallor, Alyse Thompson, Jacob Northfield
Chief Strategy Officer: Maxine Thomas, Heather Segal
Executive Director, Comms Planning & Technology: Sean Bell
Group Strategy Director: Sarah Yim,
Senior Broadcast Agency Producer: Revital Grunberg
Executive Producer: Laura Dubcovsky
Integrated Producers:  Ian McCartney, Jess Howard

French Agency: Lg2
Media Agency: Media Experts, Bell Media
Retouchers:  Nabil Elsaadi
Studio Manager: Henry Eugenio
Studio Artists: Stephanie Kelly, Sunny Jung, Sean Lacdan
Animators: Diego Bergia, Felipe Chaparro

Photographer: LM Chabot
Photography Agency: L’Éloi

Production House: Soft Citizen
Director: Vincent Haycock
Director of Photography: Norm Li
Managing Director: Eva Preger
Executive Producer: Link York
Executive Producer, Head of Production: Rob Burns
Line Producer: Whitney Jackson

Editorial: Outsider
Lead Editor: Calum Moore
Assistant Editor: Daniel Karan
Executive Producers: Kristina Anzlinger, Kayan Choi

Post Production Company: Zulubot
Editor: Jay Baker
Director of Post Production: Sarah Dayus
Senior Producer: Lena Hamady
Colour Grading: Ethos
Colourist: Dante Pasquinelli
Executive Producers: James Drew, Eliana Carranza-Pitcher
Head of Production: Natasha Sattler
Online: Bell Brand Production Unit
Lead Designer: Kevin Francisco
Motion Graphic Designers: Michael Yin, Jesse Skelton

Animation Studio (Gaming): Tonic DNA
Executive Producer: Nadim Chartouni
Head of Production Frederique Parenteau
Junior Producer: Sofie Lamontagne
Creative Director: Jay Caplan
Character & UI Design: Michael Renaud
Compositing: Marta Grasso

Audio House: Grayson
Creative Director: Ali Willa Milner
Executive Producer: Kelly McCluskey
Audio Engineer: Vlad Nikolic
Sound Design: Matt Fasullo
Music Supervisor: Rich Hamilton

Music Company: Selfsame Industries
Music Supervisor: Beth Urdang