• by Steve McClellan  @mp_mcclellan, May 7, 2020

In March cybersecurity giant Palo Alto Networks hired Omnicom’s Rapp to help communicate its next chapter in a new campaign. Then the pandemic struck with full force triggering the national lockdown.

But in four weeks with most of the world working remotely, Rapp was able to launch PAN’s first-ever national advertising campaign, “Securing The Remote Workforce” that targets hard-to-reach business executives.

In that time the shop delivered a media plan, a digital strategy and supporting creative, a microsite and three national TV spots that are currently running on major news channels. The work was led out of Rapp’s San Francisco office in a joint effort with teams in New York and Dallas.

The agency was supported by sibling shops Organic and Ketchum on the website and digital strategy pieces of the campaign.

The creative goes beyond the “we are in this together” sentiment reflected in so many new campaigns to explain how PAN has helped secure millions of home offices around the world that popped up literally overnight.

“The world didn’t just start working remotely,” the narrator intones at the beginning of one spot, “It also began living remotely.” She underscores PAN’s heritage as a leader in the cybersecurity space and offers examples within the last few weeks where PAN stepped in and made connections secure for working and schooling from home.

The spot positions PAN as the security provider for “millions of human connections” before closing with, “Palo Alto Networks: Next Gen Cybersecurity Delivered Today.”

Embracing what an agency rep calls “total agility” Rapp assembled a team from across its network collaborating daily across time zones with its client partners to develop and execute the campaign. Production was done remotely utilizing disinfected camera drop-offs and Zoom “directing.”

Ludo Gougat, managing director, Rapp San Francisco, says that work on the campaign in the chaotic crisis environment “will have a profound impact on how we will support our clients when ‘normalcy’ returns.”

Working remotely has forged closer ties with colleagues across the network. “It has accelerated our collaborative culture and processes to the benefit of our clients.”

While full-time remote work has its challenges, Gougat says that people are starting “to think of the benefit of what could be like a 50% remote working situation. This will have long-lasting impact on how we work.”

For the agency and client the past six weeks from business pitch to campaign execution has been a whirlwind of long days and great effort capped off with the debut of the national TV run April 27. Someday, hopefully soon after restrictions lift, they’ll actually be able to meet in person for the first time.