KitchenAid Mixes and Matches Toronto’s Skyline
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. The KitchenAid stand mixer is an icon of industrial design in its own right. However, in a billboard campaign on Toronto’s largest expressway, the brand is paying tribute to another, more local, design icon; the CN Tower, one of the tallest free-standing structures in the world.
Entitled “KitchenAid mix’n match”, the billboard uses technology to mimic the ever-changing colours of the CN Tower’s lights. As the lights on the tower shift, so do the colours of the stand mixer.
As a brand that celebrates creativity in the kitchen, the billboard showcases the vast array of personalization options available with KitchenAid stand mixers. The brand hopes the innovative display will get Torontonians excited about the personalization offered by 30+ stand mixer colours.
“KitchenAid is all about unlocking creativity in the kitchen,” said Jacqueline Probert, KitchenAid brand manager, “this billboard is a playful way to show Torontonians how they can personalize their stand mixer to their style.”
Created by Toronto’s Zulu Alpha Kilo, the billboard uses a camera that detects the colour of the CN Tower and converts it into an XML feed. An algorithm uses this information to essentially provide trafficking instructions to Astral’s digital board instructing it to match the colour of the tower with one of KitchenAid’s 33 stand mixer colours.
“Behind the technology is a simple idea,” said Ian Simpson, CD at Zulu Alpha Kilo, “using only the image of the stand mixer we are able to capture some of the same magic that has made KitchenAid an icon of design.”
So as the CN Tower lights up to celebrate a Raptors playoff win or a holiday, the KitchenAid stand mixer will follow suit. From one design icon to another.
Production partner was Bounce Studio, media was handled by Cossette media.
