2023 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition, arguably the most iconic magazine franchise of all time, first appeared in 1964 to fill in the publication’s winter months, notoriously a slow point in the sports calendar. To appear on the cover of this highly prestigious annual issue wasn’t just an honour – it sent many models’ careers into the stratosphere, women like Kathy Ireland, Christie Brinkley, Tyra Banks and Heidi Klum.

But there was another side to the story. SI Swimsuit has historically been seen as a publication that, inadvertently or not, objectified women and manufactured a Euro-centric standard of beauty. And the ads that filled their magazine weren’t any better.

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit wanted to transform from a magazine just for him, into a platform for her. It wanted to shed the perception that it objectified women and transform into an entity that breaks stereotypes and beauty standards.

To truly transform the SI Swimsuit franchise, they needed to go beyond a splashy ad campaign – they needed to get the brand to fully commit to a purpose-driven platform. The inspiration came when they realized it wasn’t enough to change the magazine’s editorial approach; they needed transform the business
from the inside out.

They saw an opportunity to not only pave the way for girls and women to see themselves in the pages of SI Swimsuit, but to hold their advertisers accountable to the same mission. In the media industry, ad space is always available to the highest bidder. But they wondered if there was a better way—could ad space mean more than a sell? They reimagined our ad space as an extension of the brand
itself—a platform for women.

They created Pay with Change,: the world’s first media buy based on progress over profit. This new business model meant that any brand that wanted to advertise or partner with SI Swimsuit had to first commit to making progress for women. Progress could take the form of internal policy changes or external causes; it could be an existing initiative or a new commitment. They gated their biggest revenue stream with progress for women to demonstrate their values as a business and a brand.

They announced Pay with Change on the 58th anniversary of the SI Swimsuit’s first issue with an anthem film, launch page, organic social media and media appearances with editor-in-chief, MJ Day. The timing coincided with the Super Bowl,
attracting more audiences and brands.

They created content for the annual magazine as well, including an
open letter asking brands to join the movement for women. They even left an ad page blank as a statement to show that they’d rather have blank pages than accept ads from brands not committed to women. To increase impact, a portion of magazine sales would go to the Sports Illustrated Gender Equity Fund, supporting non-profit organizations driving gender equality.

Instead of delivering a glitzy advertising campaign, they convinced Sports Illustrated management to transform its entire business model, its biggest revenue stream, in favour of creating progress for women. And it paid off. It gained advertisers, audiences and accolades.

SI saw a 47% increase in brand partnerships in the first three months alone. The launch of the program generated 86 media placements with 2.8 billion impressions and 10.4 million in earned social impressions. As a result of their purpose-driven platform, they also saw a 122% increase in positive social sentiment from women. In addition, our content in the annual issue, on average generating over 20 billion impressions, meant that our cause would reach global brands and audiences.

Not only was this bold idea good for business, it also resulted in more companies committing to progress for women in a tangible way.

Credits

Judy John Global CCO Edelman
Jordan Atlas CCO, U.S. Edelman
Anthony Chelvanathan CCO, Canada Edelman
Nicole Ogoff Managing Director, Head of Connected Stories Edelman
Laura Kim EVP, Innovation and Strategy Edelman
Chris Swanson, Group Creative Director Edelman
Sussana Kohm, Group Creative Director Edelman
Grace Messarra Senior Copywriter Edelman
Helen Yu Graphic Designer Edelman
Hillary Dado Art Director Edelman
Manas Abrol Executive Creative Director Edelman
Krystle Mullin Executive Creative Director Edelman
Rachel Starnes EVP, Experience Design Director Edelman
Andrew Connelly Innovation Developer Edelman
Ginny Tevere SVP, Group Design Director Edelman
Karen Schmidt Vice President, Design Director Edelman
Igor Salagaev Senior Designer Edelman
Sarah Miller Senior Designer Edelman
Greg Casto Executive Vice President Edelman
Charlotte Runco Bruner Senior Vice President Edelman
Tori Cox Account Supervisor Edelman
Diona Humes-Jamison Media Supervisor Edelman
Melissa Nelson Managing Director, Integrated Client Leadership Edelman
Jackeline Stewart EVP, Head of Multicultural Edelman
Courtney Mains Vice President Edelman
Stewart Pratt Senior Vice President Edelman Data & Intelligence
Daisah Riley Senior Digital Strategist Edelman
Garrott Smith Senior Vice President Edelman
Imani Yorker Digital Strategist Edelman
Tomikka Anderson Senior Account Supervisor Edelman
Renee Mailhiot Vice President, Media Edelman
Kathi Perrelli Vice President, Program Director Edelman
Aldo Gagliardi Vice President, Executive Producer Edelman
Scott Goodfriend Vice President, Executive Producer Edelman
Nate Millado Producer Edelman
Hillary Drezner General Manager Sports Illustrated Swimsuit
MJ Day Editor In Chief Sports Illustrated Swimsuit