The winners of the first ever D&AD Impact Awards were announced this evening (9/27) at the PlayStation Theater in NYC before a crowd of business leaders, campaigners, philanthropists and awarded advertising and design practitioners from around the world. The competition honors creative projects that have benefited society as well as a business’ bottom line.
The D&AD Impact Black Pencil, widely regarded as the gold standard for excellence in creativity and business, was awarded to just two projects. The Black Pencils went to French Supermarket chain Intermarché and their agency Marcel for Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables, a campaign that encouraged the purchase of imperfect, more natural produce; and campaigning group Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America, whose powerful Taking Aim At Corporate America campaign by Grey Canada made a powerful case to a deeply divided nation.
Twenty brands and companies were awarded a D&AD Impact White Pencil.
In total, 87 D&AD Impact Pencils were awarded, with the traditional Graphite and Wood Pencils celebrating work that the judges considered best in class across the 12 categories.
D&AD Impact’s mission is to identify and celebrate great, transformative, creative ideas that have had real impact and, ultimately, contributed towards a better, fairer and more sustainable future for all. The objective of the award is to demonstrate the value of purpose to profitability, and elevate projects and businesses that have made a genuine contribution to society and the planet.
Global brands like Unilever, Microsoft, Mastercard, Burger King and Honeymaid have proved that the power of a world-changing campaign is real and measurable. It wasn’t just the big brands that have been rewarded with a D&AD Impact Pencil however, with charities and local campaigns like the Aland Index by the Bank of Aland also celebrated. They are all united by the goal of using creativity for good.
D&AD Impact is the result of a partnership between D&AD and Advertising Week. The juries awarded D&AD Impact Pencils based on three criteria: an original and innovative idea at its core; clear and measurable impact in its chosen category; and relevance to the business’s commercial needs.
The awards ceremony was hosted by cultural critic, futurist comedian and How To Be Black author Baratunde Thurston. Sting lent his support to the project by performing to the jubilant crowd of winners.
Here’s a rundown of D&AD Impact Black Pencil and White Pencil winners:
Black Pencils
Industry Evolution
Intermarche’s “Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables”
Marcel
Community
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America’s “Taking Aim At Corporate America”
Grey Canada
White Pencils
Diversity & Equality
Ad Council’s “Love Has No Labels”
R/GA
Environmental Sustainability
Saltwater Brewery’s “Edible Six Pack Rings”
We Believers
Diversity & Equality
Honeymaid’s “This is Wholesome”
Droga5
Health & Wellness
MACMAs “MANBOOBS4BOOBS”
DAVID Buenos Aires
Humanitarian Aid
Casa Luker’s “Lifesaver Backpack”
J. Walter Thompson Colombia
Responsible Production & Consumption
Coalition of Immokalee Workers’ “Fair Food Program Branding Campaign”
Pinkwater & Putman
Community
REI’s “OptOutside”
Venables Bell & Partners
Communication & Interaction
Valvis Holding’s “Purity Test”
Cohn and Jansen JWT
Industry Evolution
Thai Samsung Electronics’ “Touchable Ink”
J. Walter Thompson Bangkok
Diversity & Equality
P&G’s “Redefining #LikeAGirl”
Leo Burnett Toronto, Chicago, London/Holler
Government Engagement
Make Love Not Scars’ “Beauty Tips By Reshma”
Ogilvy & Mather, Mumbai
Environmental Sustainability
DB Breweries, DB Export’s “Brewtroleum”
Colenso BBDO
Responsible Production & Consumption
Ryman’s “Ryman Eco”
Grey London
Urban Living
BeeInventive Pty Ltd.’s “Flow Hive”
BeeInventive
Responsible Production & Consumption
Coop’s “The Organic Effect”
Forsman & Bodenfors
Financial Empowerment
Depaul UK’s “Depaul Box Co.”
Publicis London
Humanitarian Aid
Hindustan Unilever Limited’s “The Story of an Unborn Child–Chamki”
PHD India
Urban Living
Hovding’s “Give A Beep”
Edelman Deportivo
Education
Whirlpool’s “Care Counts”
DigitasLBI North America
Diversity & Equality
P&G India’s “Dads #ShareTheLoad”
BBDO India
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More