2025 Winner

To help reverse the decline in children’s reading habits, Penguin Random House launched “Living Stories,” bringing bedtime stories to life using smart home technology. Instead of resisting digital culture, the publisher embraced it, transforming written stories into immersive, multi-sensory experiences. Through a free mobile app, “Living Stories” syncs with smart lights and speakers via voice recognition. As a caregiver reads aloud, the app triggers custom sounds and lighting effects in real time, matching key moments in the story. A campaign promoted the product launch through PR and social. And early feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, with signs of increased reading engagement and improved literacy.

Credits

Chief Creative Officer: Aaron Starkman, Mike Dubrick
Chief Strategy Officer: Sean McDonald
Executive Creative Director: Xavier Blais, Sean O’Connor
Executive Creative Director, Design: Hans Thiessen
Creative Director: Jonathan Lavoie
Art Director: Jean-Nicolas Duval, Jonathan Lavoie, Preto Murara
Associate Creative Director / Copywriter: Nicolas Labbé
Head of Strategy: Pascal Routhier
Senior Strategist: Clément Martin
Head of Broadcast Production: Laura Rioux
Broadcast Producer: Katia Dupuy, Chantal Wakil
Director of Integrated Content: Todd Harrison
Associate Director of Digital Production: Kyle Hicks
Associate Director of Development / Tech Lead: Brad Stapleton
Developer / Creative Technologist: Ken Malley
PR: Kristel Dupont, Meredith Montgomery, Sara Lemmermeyer, Tara Lush Benson, Janvi Singh, Mégane Landry
Account Director: Catherine B. Mainville
Account Manager: Queenie See
Production Company: Nova Film
Executive Producers: David Poulin
Line Producer: Camille Perras
Director: Nicolas Brassard
Editor: Étienne Bergeron
DoP: Nicolas Brassard
Audio House: Circonflex
Original Composition: Olivier Girard
Music Director: Paul-Étienne Côté
Audio Producer/Mixer: Dominic Cabana, Mathilde Langlois-Bettez
Executive Producer: Laurence Guichandut
Client:
Vice-President, Marketing and Communications: Beth Lockley
Associate Director, Marketing & Publicity: Sylvia Chan