Missing D&AD Pencils campaign captured on film

Why did they do it? To remind the creative community of the true value of a D&AD Pencil and that when it comes to creative awards, nothing matters more.

Everyone has heard the old adage 'you don't know what you've got until it's gone' and this was able to remind some of the world's top creatives of that. By capturing the passion (and colourful language) that a missing D&AD Pencil evokes, they wanted to remind people of all the hard graft that goes into winning each award and why striving for creative excellence is still so important.

The film, which was released on social media late last week, shows the huge reach that this stunt had. Targeting top creatives from Sao Paulo to Cape Town and London to Melbourne, creative industry heavyweights such as Rosie Arnold (BBH), Nils Leonard (Grey London) and Charlie Wilson (OgilvyOne) talk about their cherished D&AD pencils. As BBH's Executive Creative Director Rosie Arnold says in the film, "[The D&AD pencils are] the most difficult to win, the most treasured - my pencil has pride of place in my collection".

The heist sparked a wave of reactions over the following days, as agencies all over the world worried over their trophies' fate and voiced their confusion on social media. It was not until four days later (Thursday 14 January), that the Pencils were returned, alongside an explanation that the stunt had been designed to dramatise the uniquely precious nature of the awards.

Tim Lindsay, D&AD CEO Commented "The heist was a spectacular piece of planning and was excellently executed but despite the excitement of seeing the reactions on social media, it was never really about taking the pencils. What we set out to do from the start was to capture the reactions of people as their pencils were returned, reminding them of a very personal achievement, and I think this film illustrates that perfectly."

Helen Calcraft, founder, Lucky Generals, added, "At a time when some are rightly questioning the plethora of awards in our industry, the D&AD pencil remains the one that creative people really want to win. The response to our heist, in agencies all over the world, proves that when it comes to awards, nothing matters more."

To view the heist, go to www.dandad.org/en/nothingmattersmore.