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.
Learn more about The One Show 2026
Category
Low Budget
Annual ID
OS25_MI126M
Background
The advertising industry is filled with awards shows from all over the world, and the competition to be prestigious and admired is a constant in the category.
The New York Festivals was looking to reinforce their positioning as one of the most reputable award shows in the industry, so they gave us the mission to create a campaign that would do that while generating buzz and get people’s attention.
In a category that’s all about brilliant creativity, our huge challenge was to find a disruptive point of view that would feel uniquely ownable to the NYFA and get the recognition of the most demanding target: creative agencies/creatives
The New York Festivals was looking to reinforce their positioning as one of the most reputable award shows in the industry, so they gave us the mission to create a campaign that would do that while generating buzz and get people’s attention.
In a category that’s all about brilliant creativity, our huge challenge was to find a disruptive point of view that would feel uniquely ownable to the NYFA and get the recognition of the most demanding target: creative agencies/creatives
Creative Idea
Award shows are celebrating an alarming amount of bullshit, making the industry question their value and reputation. Lucky us, New York is famously known for not putting up with B.S., so we made sure the NYFA stands for that too. We asked ourselves: What if we turned all the cliché case study bullshit into real bullshit, and donated it as fertilizer to New York farmers so they could grow something good out of it. Each bag of manure was labeled after a very specific but relatable bad habit of the industry. In short, “New York City doesn’t put up with BS. And neither does our award show.”
Insights & Strategy
Over the years, the NYFA’s call for entry campaigns have distinguished themselves by staying true to its New York roots. The sweet spot lies in grounding the work in a truth about New York that can extend to the award show itself.
After some research, we unlocked our big truth: one of the most recognizable traits of New Yorkers is that they famously don’t put up with bullshit. They mind their own business, speak their minds and at the end of the day, in a city where everyone is going a mile a minute, there’s no time for BS.
But it wasn’t just about tapping into any insight about New York. In parallel, we did some scouting to uncover the tensions around award shows, and discovered that in recent years, submissions have become bloated to comical proportions – too many case studies with unrealistic results and impact, ultimately distracting all of us from our true purpose: to celebrate great ideas.
In other words, this industry is increasingly celebrating an alarming amount of bullshit. And as true New Yorkers, we just couldn’t allow that to happen.
Our great opportunity: to set out to prove that at the New York Festivals Advertising Awards, it’s all about the work. No space for BS.
After some research, we unlocked our big truth: one of the most recognizable traits of New Yorkers is that they famously don’t put up with bullshit. They mind their own business, speak their minds and at the end of the day, in a city where everyone is going a mile a minute, there’s no time for BS.
But it wasn’t just about tapping into any insight about New York. In parallel, we did some scouting to uncover the tensions around award shows, and discovered that in recent years, submissions have become bloated to comical proportions – too many case studies with unrealistic results and impact, ultimately distracting all of us from our true purpose: to celebrate great ideas.
In other words, this industry is increasingly celebrating an alarming amount of bullshit. And as true New Yorkers, we just couldn’t allow that to happen.
Our great opportunity: to set out to prove that at the New York Festivals Advertising Awards, it’s all about the work. No space for BS.
Execution
We relabeled bags of manure with pure award show BS and gave them away for free to New York state farmers. To launch the campaign, we created a mockumentary-style film, titled “100% Bull****” portraying real farmers talking directly to camera about the free bags of manure they received. Each bag was humorously labelled with award show case study jargon like ‘Made-up Tweets’, “15 Billion Impressions”, “238% Positive Sentiment”, creating genuine moments of confusion and comedy as the farmers, unfamiliar with the advertising world, discussed the potential benefits of the unconventional fertilizer for their crops. In addition to the video, the campaign extended to social content and print. Additionally, for every B.S called in the jury room during the jurying process, the NYF will donate more bags of manure to support the NYC parks.
Results
Our campaign is still going as subscriptions close on May 9th, so we don’t have the exact data just yet and we won’t B.S our way around it.
We do know, however, that it's already caused a stir and helped the advertising industry reevaluate its practices regarding awards. It garnered attention and earned PR globally and locally, as well as from influencers and industry leaders who have shared the message across multiple channels, calling people to ditch the B.S this award season.
Most importantly, it has helped cement the NYFestival’s reputation as a prestigious and well respected award.
We do know, however, that it's already caused a stir and helped the advertising industry reevaluate its practices regarding awards. It garnered attention and earned PR globally and locally, as well as from influencers and industry leaders who have shared the message across multiple channels, calling people to ditch the B.S this award season.
Most importantly, it has helped cement the NYFestival’s reputation as a prestigious and well respected award.
2025 Awards
Total Points: 3
Merit
Credits
Agency
Grey / New York
Client / Brand
New York Festivals
Production Company
Hungry Man / Los Angeles
Music / Sound Production Company
750mph / London
Post Production Company
Cabin Editing Company / New York
Company 3 / New York
Method Studios / New York
Velem / New York
Associate Creative Director
Marcelo Bacellar
Matthew Everts
Chief Creative Officer
Thiago Cruz
Director
Ben Callner
Editor
Chris Kelly
Executive Creative Director
Brent Singer
Global Chief Creative Officer
Gabriel Schmitt
Group Creative Director
Alvaro Soto
Photographer
Gabriella Angotti-Jones
Producer
Samuel Morse
Strategy Director
Nicolas Pilaprat
Assistant Editor
Mark Gutierrez
Executive Producer
Caleb Dewart
Francesca McDowell
Kim Dellara
Hope Duhaime
Nicholas Dziekonski
Group Executive Producer
Saul Metnick
Senior Art Director
Chelsea Robinson
Audio Producer
Aishah Amodu
Business Affairs Manager
Vanessa Ovart
Chief Production Officer
James McPherson
Colorist
Joseph Bicknell
Director of Communications
Christie Giera
Director of Project Management
Arie Andrews
Director of Talent Management
Regina Gómez
EVP, Global Managing Director
Jesse Kurnit
Flame Artist
Marlon Bondoc
Flame Lead
Larry Merril
Line Producer
Adam Callner
Post Producer
Lorelei Polk
Print producer
Ana Suarez
Production Coordinator
Olivia Vitagliano
Sound engineer
Matthew Ennis
VFX Assistant
Sergio Segovia
VP, Business Affairs
Lisa Mercier
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