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Category
Innovation & Transformation / Innovation in Social Media
Annual ID
OS_SM21_039S
About the Work
Brands typically drop wads of cash on celebrity sponsors and influencers to gain cultural caché. Wendy’s, on the other hand, forged its own path by acting more like a person than a brand, to become an online celebrity and cultural influencer in its own right.
To be a cultural influencer, you have to push the boundaries of accepted culture. So we redefined how brands can act online, behaving more like a human than a staid corporation. Wendy’s grew famous for its sassy Twitter, becoming an exemplar of digital culture in the popular zeitgeist. We released a chart-topping mixtape. We became a top streaming gamer on Twitch.
People noticed. And they liked us. A lot. Mainstream entertainment outlets - Good Morning America, The Daily Show, Netflix’s Space Force, Dave, to name a few - name dropped us for cache among Millennial- and social-savvy audiences. We even got referenced where you can’t buy an endorsement: inside an NFL huddle. Wendy’s is a digital icon and influencer that other entities, even other brands, wanted to associate with.
Wendy’s became a cultural influencer and reached new audiences with our entertaining, norm-defying creativity. Wendy’s doesn’t buy credibility, we earn it.
To be a cultural influencer, you have to push the boundaries of accepted culture. So we redefined how brands can act online, behaving more like a human than a staid corporation. Wendy’s grew famous for its sassy Twitter, becoming an exemplar of digital culture in the popular zeitgeist. We released a chart-topping mixtape. We became a top streaming gamer on Twitch.
People noticed. And they liked us. A lot. Mainstream entertainment outlets - Good Morning America, The Daily Show, Netflix’s Space Force, Dave, to name a few - name dropped us for cache among Millennial- and social-savvy audiences. We even got referenced where you can’t buy an endorsement: inside an NFL huddle. Wendy’s is a digital icon and influencer that other entities, even other brands, wanted to associate with.
Wendy’s became a cultural influencer and reached new audiences with our entertaining, norm-defying creativity. Wendy’s doesn’t buy credibility, we earn it.
2021 Awards
Total Points: 21
Silver Pencil
Credits
Agency
VMLY&R / Kansas City
PR / Marketing Agency
Ketchum / Chicago
Client / Brand
Wendy's
Media Distribution Company
Spark Foundry / New York
Art Director
Ben Grace
Ryan Woods
Associate Creative Director
Chad Ford
Ricardo Vallejo
Conor Clarke
Chief Marketing Officer
Carl Loredo
Copywriter
Emily Friedman
Andrew Bohren
Creative Director
Matt Keck
Eamon Conway
Global Chief Creative Officer
Debbi Vandeven
Group Creative Director
McKay Hathaway
Associate Connections Director, Social
Samantha Schuster
Chief Creative Officer, Kansas City
Noel Cottrell
Chief Creative Officer, North America
John Godsey
Senior Art Director
Ben Conaghan
Senior Copywriter
Garrett Musar
Jon Colon
Brian Bockelman
Social Media Specialist
Kristin Tormey
Associate Director, Client Engagement
Colin Belmont
Associate Director, Planning
Zach Leffers
Chief Client Officer, North America
Jennifer McDonald
Connections Manager
Joshua Smith
Connections Supervisor, Social
Jessica Wiggins Unverferth
Director, PR
Frank Vamos
Group Director, Client Engagement
Kelly Gartenmayer
Group Director, Planning
Bret Smith
Manager, Innovation & Data
Jeremy Cline
Senior Connections Manager, Social
Emmy Hanlon
VP, Media & Social
Jimmy Bennett
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