The One Show
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Category
Innovation / Use of Media in Direct Marketing
Annual ID
OS25_DM121M
Background
The world’s most unexpected music drop?
The ultimate network test?
Or the most-watched Super Bowl spot ever?
It’s all three.
By responding to the hottest topics in culture today – from Barbey to Beyonc-AI to Beyoncé-Of-The-United-States – and by teasing the BeyHive in the most #IYKYK multi-layered way, Verizon’s ad hijacked Super Bowl night and turned it into the most epic real-time real-life network test ever.
We drove 4900% more searches for Verizon, sent 30 million people to stream Bey’s new music, got 60% more store-traffic the day-after, 35% more sign ups YoY and made Beyoncé America’s first-ever female, black Country-song chart-topper.
The ultimate network test?
Or the most-watched Super Bowl spot ever?
It’s all three.
By responding to the hottest topics in culture today – from Barbey to Beyonc-AI to Beyoncé-Of-The-United-States – and by teasing the BeyHive in the most #IYKYK multi-layered way, Verizon’s ad hijacked Super Bowl night and turned it into the most epic real-time real-life network test ever.
We drove 4900% more searches for Verizon, sent 30 million people to stream Bey’s new music, got 60% more store-traffic the day-after, 35% more sign ups YoY and made Beyoncé America’s first-ever female, black Country-song chart-topper.
Creative Idea
To prove that Verizon can handle anything, we pushed it to its breaking point.
We dropped a Super Bowl spot featuring Beyoncé attempting increasingly epic and meme-able stunts in an effort to break the Verizon network - from BarBey to Beyonc-AI to running for Beyoncé of the United States.
Then came the ultimate drop in the final moment of the commercial, as Beyoncé made a real time announcement of her album release, immediately dropping two new singles and sending millions and millions to the network to download and stream. Breaking the internet. But never breaking Verizon.
We dropped a Super Bowl spot featuring Beyoncé attempting increasingly epic and meme-able stunts in an effort to break the Verizon network - from BarBey to Beyonc-AI to running for Beyoncé of the United States.
Then came the ultimate drop in the final moment of the commercial, as Beyoncé made a real time announcement of her album release, immediately dropping two new singles and sending millions and millions to the network to download and stream. Breaking the internet. But never breaking Verizon.
Insights & Strategy
The Super Bowl isn’t just Footballs’ biggest day. It’s America’s most network-intensive day where the most calls, streams, videos, food deliveries, new news and bets happen. It’s Verizon’s Super Bowl too.
But just saying ‘our network can handle anything’ or ‘our network can’t be broken’ isn’t enough for these savvy, skeptical younger Americans. They don’t care and they need proof.
So to truly reinforce this brand message, we needed everyone to join in and genuinely try to break the network. We need it to be tested – not by one engineer – but by culture itself: the culture of ‘breaking the internet’ and the cult of Beyoncé.
And this starts with mobilizing one of the most fiercely loyal, passionate and socially-active communities – the 300M-strong BeyHive – in the most authentic way.
But just saying ‘our network can handle anything’ or ‘our network can’t be broken’ isn’t enough for these savvy, skeptical younger Americans. They don’t care and they need proof.
So to truly reinforce this brand message, we needed everyone to join in and genuinely try to break the network. We need it to be tested – not by one engineer – but by culture itself: the culture of ‘breaking the internet’ and the cult of Beyoncé.
And this starts with mobilizing one of the most fiercely loyal, passionate and socially-active communities – the 300M-strong BeyHive – in the most authentic way.
Execution
To break the internet, we broke the rules:
Dropping it like a music album, not a Verizon ad.
Across two stages:
Buzz (5 days pre-SB) and Boom (the night of SB).
Buzz meant teasing the Beyhive with easter eggs and cryptic hints.
● From social-teasers like her ‘assistant’ Tony saying “She wants me to squeeze all these lemons by myself?” (her album Lemonade) while song ‘My House’ (her movie ‘Renaissance’) played and trended within minutes
● Changing our Twitter handles to Vérizon with an ‘é’
● Leaking pictures of Tony and Reneigh, Beyoncé’s silver-studded ‘horse’, on r/Talent reddit.
● Leveraging super fans and her dancers to stoke the conspiracies and escalate hype
Boom was airing the spot live and on her IG.
● Collabing with partners Mattel (BarBey) and Twitch (Slayoncé) to amplify reach
● A full-blown community-engagement strategy, interacting directly with fans
● Driving everyone to stream now and try break the network for real
Dropping it like a music album, not a Verizon ad.
Across two stages:
Buzz (5 days pre-SB) and Boom (the night of SB).
Buzz meant teasing the Beyhive with easter eggs and cryptic hints.
● From social-teasers like her ‘assistant’ Tony saying “She wants me to squeeze all these lemons by myself?” (her album Lemonade) while song ‘My House’ (her movie ‘Renaissance’) played and trended within minutes
● Changing our Twitter handles to Vérizon with an ‘é’
● Leaking pictures of Tony and Reneigh, Beyoncé’s silver-studded ‘horse’, on r/Talent reddit.
● Leveraging super fans and her dancers to stoke the conspiracies and escalate hype
Boom was airing the spot live and on her IG.
● Collabing with partners Mattel (BarBey) and Twitch (Slayoncé) to amplify reach
● A full-blown community-engagement strategy, interacting directly with fans
● Driving everyone to stream now and try break the network for real
Results
‘Beyoncé and Verizon win the Super Bowl’.
400+ headlines nationally from NYT to WSJ. 1000+ globally.
Millions of social mentions.
‘Can’t B Broken’ got 29 billion impressions. Meaning everyone on the planet noticed it 3.6 times. Together, we dominated 1/3 of ALL SB conversations (beating #TayVis).
We drove +4,900% searches for Verizon and drowned out T-Mo's two celebrity-stuffed SB ads with 95% category SOV.
We boosted ‘best network’ perceptions and proud-to-be a Verizon customer +5-12 pts with younger and more diverse generations in a way Verizon never has before.
We drove 60% more traffic to stores the Monday post-SB. More than any other Monday in Verizon history. We achieved a +35% YoY increase in sign ups within a month of Super Bowl.
30 million people streamed ‘Texas Hold Em’ within days.
And Beyoncé made history as the first Black female artist with a No. 1 country song.
400+ headlines nationally from NYT to WSJ. 1000+ globally.
Millions of social mentions.
‘Can’t B Broken’ got 29 billion impressions. Meaning everyone on the planet noticed it 3.6 times. Together, we dominated 1/3 of ALL SB conversations (beating #TayVis).
We drove +4,900% searches for Verizon and drowned out T-Mo's two celebrity-stuffed SB ads with 95% category SOV.
We boosted ‘best network’ perceptions and proud-to-be a Verizon customer +5-12 pts with younger and more diverse generations in a way Verizon never has before.
We drove 60% more traffic to stores the Monday post-SB. More than any other Monday in Verizon history. We achieved a +35% YoY increase in sign ups within a month of Super Bowl.
30 million people streamed ‘Texas Hold Em’ within days.
And Beyoncé made history as the first Black female artist with a No. 1 country song.
2025 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit
Credits
Agency
Ogilvy / New York
Production Company
MJZ / Los Angeles
Parkwood Entertainment / New York
Post Production Company
Cabin / Santa Monica
CO3 / Los Angeles
Method / New York
Sonic Union / New York
Associate Creative Director
Larissa Magera
Morgan Hoff
Chief Creative Officer
Samira Ansari
Chief Marketing Officer
Leslie Berland
Director
Craig Gillespie
Global Chief Creative Officer
Liz Taylor
Global Chief Strategy Officer
Mick McCabe
Global Executive Creative Director
Matthew Curry
Group Executive Creative Director
Doug Fallon
Steven Fogel
Account Director
Abigail Solano
Associate Director, Creative Strategy
Remy Wainfeld
CEO
Mark Dowley
Chief Production Officer
Tim Legallo
Director of Brand Strategy
Magnus Blair
Director of Business Affairs
Heather Weissman
Director of Marketing
Christopher Blades
Executive Group Director
Arya Boghraty
Global Client Lead
Kris Gibbons
Global Head of Production, WPP/Hogarth
David Rolfe
Head of Strategy, New York
Lynette Wong
NA CCO & President
Chris Beresford-Hill
NA Creative & Entertainment Lead
Juan Woodbury
President
Susan Cole
Senior Council
Carolina Pineda Martinez
Senior Director, Connections Planning & Performance
Mack Leahy
Senior Director, Creative Strategy
Andrea Huemmer
Senior Director, Head of Brand Engagement
Tim Chirico
Senior Director, Marketing Communications
Andrew Testa
Senior Vice President, Creative Marketing Group
Ricardo Aspiazu
VP of Communications
Donna Lyden
VP, Head of Creative Marketing and Brand Design
Mike Wente
VP, Marketing Activation
Jen McCarthy
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