WINNER
It’s Rude Not to Stare
by 4creative, for Channel 4
Channel 4 has been overturning negative comments and addressing stereotypes for a decade with its coverage of the Paralympic Games. It continued this theme for the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games, with a campaign that Channel 4 marketing director Amber Kirby has described as having evolved into a social movement.
With its promotional work around Tokyo, Channel 4 flipped its coverage to focus on the human commitment and sacrifice of Paralympians.
Its posters, located in hugely busy locations such as London’s Waterloo Station, had to shout their message loudly to be heard, and to highlight that Paralympic performances were a must-watch event that viewers could not afford to miss.
The message of the posters was carefully honed to sum up five years of preparation and training in just five words.
The judges said: “A clever way to flip the problematic notion of staring at those with disabilities on its head. The word play is bold, in-your-face, eye-catching and easily communicates what they’re going for.”
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Empowerium Store
by Among Equals, for The Girls’ Network
The Empowerium – a pop-up store in Coal Drops Yard, in London’s King’s Cross – was a satirical statement that ‘sold’ fake women’s empowerment products. Its purpose was to highlight the work of The Girls’ Network to empower girls from the least advantaged communities in the UK.
The pop-up followed a similar online store, which featured fake products that ‘solved’ real gender inequality issues. The physical pop-up also featured real items donated by celebrities, which were auctioned to raise funds.
The satirical approach was taken to draw attention to an issue which is important, but has lost its power to surprise. It saw the pop-up space packed with gags and puns, from ‘insecurity tags’ to a 15.4% discount for women to reflect the UK’s typical gender pay gap. A hero installation of giant receipts highlighted the impact made by The Girls’ Network.
With no paid marketing spend, the store generated a 20% uplift in social followers and thousands of pounds in donations, along with national media coverage.
Guardian 200 Years a Work in Progress
by OLIVER, for The Guardian
Writing was always set to be an essential element of a campaign for one of the UK’s longest-running newspapers.
To celebrate 200 years of speaking truth to power, The Guardian chose to look forward to the future rather than to enjoy the successes of its past. However, it did look to classic news-reporting skills and typography when picking messages that would succinctly – and engagingly – reflect its mission to carry on reporting for at least another two centuries.
The messages reached potential readers wherever they were, with a selection of busy and meaningful locations – including near the brand’s original Manchester home – as well as press, display and social limited-edition editorial collaborations.
In a demonstration of the power of words, the campaign was one of the best-performing in the paper’s long history.
CIRCA5000
by Ragged Edge, for CIRCA5000
With a pledge to fight money with money, CIRCA5000 – previously known as Tickr – is seeking to correct the world of investment to protect the planet, and to stop the richest 1% of the population benefitting from the misfortune of everybody else.
Ragged Edge created the new name to raise the question of whether the human race will survive as long as the year 5000. It offers the prospect of a new type of investment, which confronts climate change and encourages those with money to invest to choose businesses that are good for the planet, to allow investment that does not require moral compromise.
“Fighting against inertia requires you to be audacious,” says the design studio. It is calling on members of the public to invest in an intervention against business practices that it believes are bad for everybody.
After the last couple of years we all need an ear
by Uncommon Creative Studios, for ITV
As the latest iteration of the UK’s most-recognised mental health initiatives, this campaign from last Christmas was facing high expectations.
Created through a partnership between ITV, YoungMinds, Mind and SAMH, the Britain Get Talking campaign has played a powerful role in getting people to talk more openly about mental health.
Writing was crucial to the effectiveness of this campaign, which showed a paragraph of copy discovered inside the packaging of an unwrapped present. In each execution the carefully-worded message reminded us that, at Christmas, the most valuable gift any of us can give is our presence, and called on us to get in touch with loved ones and lend them an ear.
After two years of lockdown and loss, many people stood to benefit.
Writing for Design
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