Citizen’s “Undone” Horror Short Film Wins At The Drum Awards

Last week, The Drum announced the winners of the global Drum Awards Festival 2024, recognizing the very best work in the world of marketing and media. Citizen’s “Undone” campaign for Intuit TurboTax took home two wins at the awards. The show, judged by a jury of 700 global marketing experts, awards work that exemplify ground-breaking creativity and strategic genius. 

Citizen won a Silver in the Advertising: Online Video – Long Form category and a Bronze in the Content: Video & Film category. The Undone campaign for TurboTax addresses the horrible stress and anxiety 85% of Canadian Gen Z face when it comes to taxes. How? In a medium that speaks to Gen Z best – a 9 minute psychological horror film. This innovative approach to addressing a complex problem is what has garnered industry appreciation for the campaign. 

Creative Directors, Jess Richards and Travis Myers, spearheaded the campaign, which most recently won at the Applied Arts Advertising Awards. 

“This was the concept we thought the client would never pick,” said Richards. “It was a true display of their trust in the creative process and we’re so grateful for this partnership.”

Speaking on the uniqueness of the campaign, Myers added, “Good creative makes agencies and clients uncomfortable. When you don’t paint by numbers, things can go very good or very wrong. This concept made us all uncomfortable in a good way, and in the end it made audiences uncomfortable in a good way too.”

The campaign was also the focal point of an episode of the Plus Company podcast, Partners in Possibility, hosted by Plus Co CEO, Brett Marchand. Citizen’s Chief Creative Officer, Josh Budd, joined Brett and Intuit Canada’s Head of Marketing, Gah-Yee Won, to chat about pushing creative boundaries and taking risks.