ADC Awards
The ADC Annual Awards is the oldest continuously running industry award show in the world. Now in its incredible 102nd year, these awards celebrate the very best in advertising, digital media, graphic and publication design, packaging and product design, motion, experiential and spatial design, photography, illustration and fashion design all with a focus on artistry and craftsmanship.
Category
Design for Good / Fashion Design
Annual ID
ADC102_FSN005S
About the Work
Women retire with 30% less savings than men. As a retirement brand, TIAA found that unacceptable. We decided to make it our mission to be the only brand to stand up and #RetireInequality with a campaign aimed to inspire change and ignite conversations. Because it’s one thing to talk about it and another thing to do something about it.
So we partnered with prominent Black female fashion designer Fe Noel to create an unforgettable statement: The Dre$$, a one-of-a-kind couture gown made up of $1.6 million dollars, with each bill individually hand-sewn onto the 16-foot-long dress. Fe was the perfect partner to help bring #RetireInequality to life. She holds a degree in finance and is the founder of the Fe Noel Foundation, aiming to help young female entrepreneurs.
The Dre$$ walked NYFW as Fe’s closing look—an honor on the runway. Following its debut, we installed The Dre$$ in fashion’s capital, NYC’s SoHo, for the remainder of NYFW so everyone could experience its impact and beauty.
In just 48 hours, our activation received over 1.3 billion impressions with pickup in Vogue, Essence, Complex, Glossy, and a host of other publications you’d never expect to see for a retirement brand. While impressions are great, this statement helped change behavior. We saw a 61% increase in share of voice and a 300% increase in the number of people who decided to close the retirement gap for themselves by signing up for advice sessions.
For every social post of The Dre$$, TIAA donated to Dress for Success, a nonprofit that provides professional attire to women supporting their job search and interview processes.
The retirement crisis will only be solved by looking it straight in the eye. And with The Dre$$, we not only did that, but we made it impossible to look away.
2023 Awards
Total Points: 21
Silver Cube
Credits
Agency
The Martin Agency / Richmond
Design Firm
Fe Noel
Client / Brand
Tiaa
Creative Director
Sara Kuhs
Itaysha Jordan
Designer
Camilla Huey
Executive Creative Director
Jordi Martinez Ortega
Business Affairs Manager
Angela Eddleman
Kristen Hellwig
Muriel Katz
Content Producer
Steve Ford
Group Planning Director
Karin Santiago
Senior Art Director
Jasper Yu
Senior Copywriter
Danielle Gasbarro
Senior Designer
Bruno Cintra
Account Coordinator
Julia Palumbo
Account executive
Kenzie Morsey
Brand Strategist
Ryan Waltz
Cultural Impact Manager
Mariah Harris
Design & Studio Production Director
Anya Mills
Digital Producer
Chase Mazel
Director, Cultural Impact Communications
Sydney Schmidt
Financial Affairs Manager
Missy Walker
Founder and Designer
Fe Noel
Manager, Proofreading
Nancy Foltz
Manager
Anna Miya
Proofreader
Allison Titus
Josh Poteat
Senior Activations Producer
Evan Frank
Marleny Castaños
Senior Art Producer
Sara Levi
Senior Cultural Impact Specialist
Fenton Crowther
Senior Designer/Art Director
Brittany Lazaroff
Senior Print/Product Producer
Becky Atkins
Senior Project Manager
Hayley SooHoo
Senior Studio Artist
Margaret Griffiths
Melissa Wiseman
Studio Artist
Sharon Sutler
SVP, Group Account Director
Liz Toms
SVP, Group Creative Director
Jason Komulainen
SVP, Managing Director, Cultural Impact & Brand Communications
Jaclyn Ruelle
VP, Design Director
Judd Burnette
VP, Director of Creative and Media Partnerships
Becca Grimes
VP, Director, Business Affairs
Maria Rougvie
VP, Executive Producer
Ann Parker
Kim Zaninovich
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