From Adweek · Rebecca Stewart · · 1m 30s
Zoom's evil CEO ad wants you to look again
Kate McKinnon plays a villain trying to kill Zoom, and every scheme she picks accidentally sells its AI features.
In brief
Kate McKinnon plays a villain trying to kill Zoom, and every scheme she picks accidentally sells its AI features. Zoom is using SNL comedy to reintroduce itself as an AI platform, not a meetings app, and the customers are responding. Originally reported by Adweek.
The sequel drops
Zoom's biggest global campaign started in December with Bowen Yang as a tyrant IT boss. The follow-up, "Zoom Got it Done," is now live from Colin Jost's No Notes Productions.
McKinnon plays the villain
In a shiny silver suit, Kate McKinnon slams her fist on a desk and orders her staff to find a way to destroy Zoom once and for all.
Every scheme backfires
Each plan to kill Zoom ends up demonstrating a feature beyond video calls, like AI agents and automated note taking. The product can even help with its own destruction.
A CMO with two jobs
Kim Storin had to reposition Zoom from pandemic meetings app to AI enterprise platform, and speak to all 300 million daily users, from freelancers to global companies.
Comedy as the wedge
Hiring SNL names was meant to make a B2B brand feel different. One customer emailed Storin directly after the first spot to say the campaign landed.
“Consider me standing on my desk.”
The numbers moved
The push runs all NFL season across TV, CTV, OOH, digital and social. Storin credits it with helping lift Q2 revenue 4.9% year over year as AI perception improved.
“Zoom is a verb and part of the cultural zeitgeist.”
At a glance
Zoom is using SNL comedy to reintroduce itself as an AI platform, not a meetings app, and the customers are responding.
