The One Show
The One Show is the world's most prestigious award show in advertising and design. For over 50 years, the Gold Pencil has been regarded as one of the top prizes in the creative industry. The One Show has a rich legacy of honoring some of the most groundbreaking ideas, created by some of the most remarkable minds in creativity.
Category
Brand Transformation / Repositioning
Annual ID
OS23_IG048M
About the Work
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit came to us with a challenge: to create a campaign that would change their reputation from a magazine that objectifies women into a platform that empowers them. For years, SI Swimsuit had been trying to rebuild their narrative. But, after decades of objectification, the world just didn’t believe it.
We know real change comes from within: So we changed the way they do business.
Every year, SI Swimsuit garners billions in earned impressions across a global audience of millions––something every brand wants. So, we took that equity and made it the price of progress. We created Pay With Change: the world’s first media buying business model that takes progress for women as payment. Brands wanting to advertise with SI Swimsuit now had to advance women’s causes to become eligible.
We launched with an anthem film, webpage, social, and editor-in-chief appearances. We published an open letter asking brands to join us and left a page blank in the annual issue to show we’d rather have blank ad space than work with brands who don’t support women. Finally, we pledged a percentage of our ad revenue to SI Swimsuit’s Gender Equity Fund. We also dedicated our annual issue’s back cover to all women––launching an AR experience where everyone could see themselves as a cover model.
And it worked. Since launch, we saw a 70% increase in engagement and impressions across all platforms. Positive social sentiment from our female readership rose by 83%, site traffic by 50%, and the percentage of women attendees at our events to 95%. And it changed the company we keep: brand partnership inquiries rose 60% with 25 new accounts won. We didn’t just improve the reputation of SI Swimsuit, we turned it into a first-of-its-kind leader in the advancement of women’s issues.
We know real change comes from within: So we changed the way they do business.
Every year, SI Swimsuit garners billions in earned impressions across a global audience of millions––something every brand wants. So, we took that equity and made it the price of progress. We created Pay With Change: the world’s first media buying business model that takes progress for women as payment. Brands wanting to advertise with SI Swimsuit now had to advance women’s causes to become eligible.
We launched with an anthem film, webpage, social, and editor-in-chief appearances. We published an open letter asking brands to join us and left a page blank in the annual issue to show we’d rather have blank ad space than work with brands who don’t support women. Finally, we pledged a percentage of our ad revenue to SI Swimsuit’s Gender Equity Fund. We also dedicated our annual issue’s back cover to all women––launching an AR experience where everyone could see themselves as a cover model.
And it worked. Since launch, we saw a 70% increase in engagement and impressions across all platforms. Positive social sentiment from our female readership rose by 83%, site traffic by 50%, and the percentage of women attendees at our events to 95%. And it changed the company we keep: brand partnership inquiries rose 60% with 25 new accounts won. We didn’t just improve the reputation of SI Swimsuit, we turned it into a first-of-its-kind leader in the advancement of women’s issues.
2023 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit
Credits
Agency
Edelman / New York
Art Director
Hillary Dado
Executive Creative Director
Krystle Mullin
Manas Abrol
Executive Producer
Aldo Gagliardi
Scott Goodfriend
Group Creative Director
Chris Swanson
Sussana Kohm
Graphic Designer
Helen Yu
Producer
Nate Millado
Account Supervisor
Tori Cox
Executive Vice President
Greg Casto
Global Chief Creative Officer
Judy John
Senior Designer
Igor Salagaev
Sarah Miller
Chief Creative Officer, Canada
Anthony Chelvanathan
Chief Strategy Officer, Canada
Laura Kim
Digital strategist
Imani Yorker
Editor In Chief
Mj Day
EVP, Experience Design Director
Rachel Starnes
EVP, Head of Multicultural
Jackeline Stewart
General Manager
Hillary Drezner
Global Chief Experience Officer
Taj Reid
Innovation Developer
Andrew Connelly
Managing Director, Head of Connected Stories
Nicole Ogoff
Managing Director, Integrated Client Leadership
Melissa Nelson
Media Supervisor
Diona Humes-Jamison
Senior Account Supervisor
Tomikka Anderson
Senior Digital Strategist
Daisah Riley
Senior Vice President
Charlotte Runco Bruner
Garrott Smith
Stewart Pratt
SVP, Group Design Director
Ginny Tevere
U.S. Chief Creative Officer
Jordan Atlas
U.S. Chief Strategy Officer
Melle Hock
Vice President
Courtney Mains
Vice President, Design Director
Karen Schmidt
Vice President, Media
Renee Mailhiot
Vice President, Program Director
Kathi Perrelli
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