Proprietary tools to help you find and win your most valuable audiences.
Clarifying ideas to find your authentic and unique place in crowded markets.
Galvanizing platforms and sharp communications that help you activate across audiences.
Insight and decision-making tools that simplify how you go to market.
Breakthrough creative ideas that grab your audiences’ attention and get them to act.
Everything from logo to animation style to make your brand more dynamic and relevant.
Dynamic websites and experiences that activate your brand in critical channels.
EVPs and campaigns that align and inspire one of your most important audiences.
Proprietary tools to help you find and win your most valuable audiences.
Clarifying ideas to find your authentic and unique place in crowded markets.
Galvanizing platforms and sharp communications that help you activate across audiences.
Insight and decision-making tools that simplify how you go to market.
Breakthrough creative ideas that grab your audiences’ attention and get them to act.
Everything from logo to animation style to make your brand more dynamic and relevant.
Dynamic websites and experiences that activate your brand in critical channels.
EVPs and campaigns that align and inspire one of your most important audiences.
VSA is a marketing and branding agency that’s always searching for a better way. We’re forever curious, never precious. Never satisfied.
From our earliest days as one of Chicago’s premier design firms to building brands and creating campaigns for some of the world’s most loved companies, clients know us for rolling up our sleeves, collaborating and solving challenges together.
This year, VSAers are embarking on an ambitious journey to redesign logos, websites, apps, packaging and more. It’s our contribution to businesses, brands and society by exploring potential solutions to the many types of expressions and experiences in the world we think have the potential of being better. We have not been commissioned for these solutions, but rather it’s our passion for great creativity that motivates us.
.gif)
In some instances, we’ll be considering what exists today. At other times, we’ll consider the opportunity for something yet to be solved, but we see it as critical for the future.
%20(1).gif)
Visit design4better.co to see the ever-evolving sketchpad for ambitious concepts that push design and organizations forward. From bold ideas to new interactions, we create with curiosity and purpose.
See the ads that have people commenting “Am I being trolled?”, “Someone call the exorcist” and “Wait, was this on purpose?” (Yes. Yes, it was.)
We’re super excited to share the “Keep It Real” campaign, created in partnership with computer security company McAfee. “Keep It Real” raises awareness about the rise of AI-driven scams while also working to shift the culture of shame that surrounds being scammed.
The campaign blends thumb-stopping digital ads that use AI to spark conversation about what’s real and fake online with Scam Stories—a movement that empowers scam survivors to speak out, reduce stigma and help others stay safe. Together, these elements create a powerful, human-centered effort to inform, connect and protect.
“By using AI in our ads with intention, we’re recreating the same confusion and doubt people experience when faced with a scam, creating a need to look twice,” said Stephanie Fried, Chief Marketing Officer at McAfee. “And in parallel, Scam Stories gives voice and power to the real people behind those moments. Holistically, this campaign helps shift the narrative from shame to understanding, and reminds people that anyone can be fooled. Seeing is no longer believing—we cannot rely on our instincts to help us tell real from fake. We need powerful tools to keep us safe and give us peace of mind.”
The creative ad campaign was developed in partnership with VSA Partners and launched alongside McAfee’s Scam Detector, a new feature that uses AI to automatically spot scams across text, email and video. While the ads lean into the surreal, the message is serious: With AI blurring the lines between real and fake, people need help telling the difference.
The campaign’s digital ads—set against a variety of backgdrops, including travel, weight loss and tolls—were designed to make people pause and think. One of the first spots to gain traction shows a woman lounging on a beach when her head suddenly rotates a full 360 degrees. Online reactions were immediate. Some assumed it was a post-production error. Others thought it was a deepfake gone wrong. And while a few viewers realized it was intentional, many were left wondering whether the moment was accidental or planned. That uncertainty was part of the point.
“The ads are clearly artificial—but that’s intentional,” said Anne-Marie Rosser, CEO of VSA Partners. “We wanted them to feel just real enough to make people pause. That moment of confusion reflects what so many people experience online today—AI is harder to spot, and it’s easier than ever to get tricked. By creating that tension, we’re helping people connect emotionally and recognize how vulnerable we all are to deception.”
Based on initial results, the verdict is out—people are ready and hungry for this kind of conversation. McAfee is already seeing an impact from these ads, with social engagement 50% above benchmark and CTR 55% above benchmark.
The second pillar of the campaign, Scam Stories, is a social series built around the voices of real scam survivors—stories from people who’ve been scammed and are speaking up to help others stay alert. From concert ticket scams to spoofed customer service texts, people are sharing their experiences using #KeepItReal and #MyScamStory, and helping others stay alert in the process. Among the first to participate are actor Chris Carmack and his wife, performer Erin Slaver, who share how even they were misled.
To extend its impact, McAfee has partnered with FightCybercrime, a nonprofit that helps people recognize, report and recover from scams. As part of the partnership, McAfee is donating $50,000 worth of online protection to individuals in FightCybercrime programs, as well as to the staff and volunteers who support them. The partnership will also include new efforts to expand online safety education.
To help drive greater awareness of the value of Scam Detector, McAfee has also partnered with several popular influencers to educate their audiences about the rise in scams and how to stay safe. Look out for comedic and informative content from recognizable names such as Alexandra Madison (@alexandramadisonn), Theo Shakes (@theo_shakes) and Kristen Knutson (@callmekristenmarie).
From surreal visuals to real-life voices, every part of the campaign was designed to blend technology and empathy, showing how creative marketing can spark conversation, shift perception and drive action. ”Keep It Real” brings McAfee’s brand purpose to life in a way that feels real, human and impossible to ignore.
Visit Scam Stories to view the campaign, submit a story or learn more about McAfee’s Scam Detector.
We’re thrilled to share that VSA took home a 2025 ANA REGGIE Award for our work with FactSet on the “Not Just the Facts” campaign. The REGGIEs—one of the most respected honors in brand activation—celebrate bold, creative campaigns that drive real business results.
“Not Just the Facts” flipped the B2B script by injecting some much-needed personality into financial services marketing. With help from our production partner Thinking Machine, we created a campaign that humorously called out the overload of data without context—making the case for FactSet’s unique ability to deliver insights that actually matter. The result was a 280% increase in brand awareness, a 438% increase in marketing qualified leads and a 76% increase in consideration.
This win is a testament to what happens when brave clients and creative teams push the boundaries of what B2B can be. Here’s to making smart ideas stand out—and to saying no to boring B2B advertising.
