2023 Winner

When Upside Foods, the world’s first cultivated meat company, received the Food and Drug Administration’s “No Questions Letter,” it needed to let consumers know that its chicken product was close to being available. “Open Letter to Chickens,” by Rethink, featured a full-page ad published in the New York Times written entirely in chicken language. With public awareness of cultivated meat virtually non-existent, a QR code took users to a microsite hosting an English version in identical formatting, explaining cultivated meat, the FDA approval process and celebrating the company’s feat of getting approved. To draw attention to the print ad, it coordinated with the company’s most notable investor, Sir Richard Branson, to post a video on his social feed encouraging people to pick up a copy of the newspaper. The print activation generated nearly 1,100% higher web traffic than its average and 7,300% more newsletter subscribers than all other channels combined.

Credits

Chief Creative Officer: Aaron Starkman, Mike Dubrick
Chief Strategy Officer: Sean McDonald
Creative Director: Noreel Asuro
Senior Art Director: Matt Dunn
Senior Copywriter: Justin Santelli
Director of Print Production: AJ Merrick
Director of Integrated Content: Todd Harrison
Senior Integrated Producer: Terri Winter, Kate A. Spencer
Group Strategy Director: Julian Morgan
Senior Strategist: Tanvi Swar
Account Services: Jong Lee, Kelly Brennan, Kennedy Crawford
Client Supervisor: Melissa Tobenstein
Studio Director: Brad Kumar
Studio Artist: Todd Bennett
Head of Brand Narrative: Lianne George
PR & Media Agency: Mission North