In order to change this outmoded practice we set out to demonstrate just how absurd it is. And what better way to do that than to compare our industry to others? Working for free might be standard practice in advertising but what about other businesses? Would they think such a request was the cost of doing business? We decided to find out by filming the reactions of people being asked to do spec.

We created a two-minute film that asked other professionals – everyone from a restaurateur to a personal trainer – to work for free. Each of them, without fail, balked at the idea, and their reactions were entirely unscripted. The resulting film skewers the notion of spec work while proposing to the industry: it’s time to do things differently.

The film was released on YouTube and featured the hashtag #SayNoToSpec. It also directed people to an online hub called SayNoToSpec. The hub consolidated all hashtagged tweets as well as any article that covered the topic. Additionally, the hub further outlined our position on spec. Ultimately, it served as an ideal place for all those tired of working for free to voice their frustrations.

The film hit a nerve. Professionals rallied behind #SayNoToSpec.

It’s been featured in press around the globe. The Times of India - the largest selling English-language newspaper - wrote a full-length editorial on the topic of spec, which featured our agency. In the US, it was the 5th most read story of 2015 and the 11th most read story of all time on Adweek. Viewers worldwide become advocates for the message and took it upon themselves to translate the video. The Spanish version of the video alone has over 1,700,000 views.

We received numerous requests to use the film in pitch training courses, conferences and awards shows.

To date, our film has been viewed over 3,800,000 times. This was all achieved with zero paid media and a production budget of under $10,000.

Ironically, since the film’s release, our agency received the most new business calls in its history.

We would release the provocative film on YouTube with the hope this hot-button issue would be picked up by trade publications. We made no investment in media.

Agencies have been doing “spec” creative in pitches since the Mad Men era. It’s become a fact of life in the advertising industry. It is something, however, that not only hurts agency bottom lines but hurts clients as well. It shifts agency resources, for example, away from current clients that are paying for them to potential clients that are not. This is something that didn’t seem right to us.

That’s why five years ago, our agency made an unconventional decision to say no to speculative work in pitches. Since then, this has become an intrinsic part of our new business philosophy. We wanted to create something that highlighted this important value in a provocative and entertaining way.