Rethink | One Dollar One Show | 2016
Become a CCO for One Dollar: A Dig at the Ad Industry / Rethink "One Dollar One Show"
Pay just one dollar, and your name gets credited on one of advertising's most prestigious awards. Somehow, this idea actually became a real campaign.
The problem
The One Show's Gold Pencil is an award every ad person wants. But entering costs a fair amount of money. Who actually pays that money, and does winning really prove someone's talent? That's the question Rethink decided to poke at.
The insight
Isn't it true that awards can basically be bought with money anyway? Rethink took that unspoken truth about the industry and turned it straight into a campaign. The very idea of selling a spot on the credits list was the joke itself.
The idea
They raised money on Indiegogo: 1 dollar got you listed as part of the Creative Team, 10 dollars made you a Writer or Art Director, 25 dollars made you a CD, 50 dollars an Executive CD, 100 dollars a CCO, and 1,000 dollars made you "The Chosen One." All the money raised went toward paying The One Show's entry fees.
What happened
They hit their funding goal in less than two days. 373 people from 43 countries chipped in, and the campaign entered 10 categories. The reaction—"I wouldn't pay for this myself, but it's hilarious"—summed up exactly how the industry felt about it.
Afterthought
Whether it actually won any awards isn't clear. But this campaign led to Rethink being handed the job of creating the Call For Entry for The One Show itself the following year. They poked fun at awards, laughed about it, and then used that same joke to land real work. A piece of satire that stayed satire—and still turned into a job.
