Press
Adweek Ad of the Day / The New York Times / CNN / The TODAY Show / Vox / Forbes / Fast Company / Bloomberg / AdWeek Ad of the Day / AdAge / Forbes x2 / The Drum / Best Ads On TV / Diversity Inc. / Human Truth Podcast / Adweek x2 / LA Times / Entreprenuer / PR Newswire / AdForum / Shoot Online / iSpot / McKinsey & Co / Newsy / Working Nation / Media Village / Business News / LinkedIn / Media Post / Flipboard / AdCouncil / Agency Daily / Work in Progress Podcast / Feedy / AOL News / The Dispatch / The Center Square / The Forem / Diversity Inc. x2 / AgencySpy
Recognition
Effies > Winner, x4 times
Warc > Gold, Strategic Effectiveness
Cannes > Shortlist, Design, Experiential
PR Week > Winner, Best B2B Campaign
One Show > Merit, Design
One Show ︎︎︎> 3x Shortlist
Anthem Awards > Silver, Non Profit
Anthem Awards > Silver, Branded DE&I
Telly Awards >︎︎︎Gold, Branded Content
SHOTS >︎︎︎Shortlist, Charity
ADCOLOR > AdWeek Ad of the Year, Runner UpThe Idea
Our Ogilvy New York worked with non-profits the Ad Council and Opportunity@Work, with the support of 50 additional companies and organizations, to launch Tear The Paper Ceiling, an initiative that urges businesses to remove the barriers blocking upward mobility for workers who do not have bachelor’s degrees. This vital cohort—workers who are Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs)—makes up over 50% of the workforce but too often faces arbitrary obstacles that preclude them from advancing their careers.
We can’t solve a problem we can’t
name. We can’t fix what we don’t
understand is broken
Giving the problem a name was the critical first step in establishing it in culture. The paper ceiling represents the invisible barrier that workers without a bachelor’s degree face. This fresh, modern take on the concept gave people a shortcut to understanding and adopting the idea faster.
It’s time the world listened
We invited people to join us in tearing this paper ceiling to see the world of possibilities beyond it. Where "qualified' means qualities, not just degrees. A world working on building a more equitable and inclusive labor market based on skills, not degrees; performance, not pedigree; and inclusion, not exclusion.
A long overdue beacon for change
We conducted focus groups to ensure the campaign hit the mark. The results were outstanding. The idea of the paper ceiling felt eye-opening and urgent with strong potential to go viral.
An idea turned into a movement
The results showed that Tear The Paper Ceiling instantly captured the attention of both employers and job applicants. Inherently associated with social justice, the idea prompted people to rethink the way they qualify skills and inspired them to become part of the solution.
Results
2.3 Billion impressions
197 M+ Twitter shares
1,124 Media impressions
764 M Website visits
6 U.S. States changed their hiring policy
400 K+ more jobs created