2023 Winner

CASE SUMMARY

As the world's largest English-language book publisher, Penguin Random House is deeply invested in freedom of expression. Over the past year, according to a recent PEN report, book banning in U.S. schools and libraries has reached unprecedented levels – particularly books that address themes of racism, gender, and sexual orientation. Some elected officials have even suggested burning books deemed “inappropriate.”

As the publisher of one of the most banned books of all time – Margaret Atwood’s 1985 dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale – Penguin wanted to make a clear statement against censorship. Execution with officials across the US engaging in censorship and even threatening to burn books, they asked one simple question: What if they couldn’t?

The result was the Unburnable Book. A one-of-a-kind edition of The Handmaid’s Tale specially designed to be impossible to burn. Printed on Cinefoil pages, using heat-resistant inks and bound with nickel wire, the materials used to create the book are stable up to 2600°F.

The book launched on May 23, on PRH social channels and at the PEN America Literary Gala in Manhattan, alongside a video of Margaret Atwood attempting to burn her own book with a flamethrower.

In no time, the story went global being picked up over 5,000 times in outlets like the New York Times and Vanity Fair. Following the launch, the single edition was auctioned at Sotheby’s New York, going for $130,000 with all proceeds going to PEN America, an organization that promotes freedom of expression.

Most importantly, a book that censors wanted to ban landed back on the bestsellers list. They donated US$130,000 PEN. The campaign received 5,230 organic media hits and a reach of 12 billion worldwide, including the New York Times, Washington Post, The Guardian, ABC, CBS, People, Vanity Fair, Reuters, and Fast Company, an organic reach of over 12 billion impressions, an advertising Value Equivalency of $35 million in earned media with no media spend and was #1 in AdAge’s “Top 5 celebrity brand collabs you need to know about right now”.

Credits

Chief Creative Officer: Aaron Starkman
Chief Strategy Officer: Sean McDonald
Executive Creative Director: Mike Dubrick
Creative Directors: Robbie Percy, Caroline Friesen
Art Director: Caroline Friesen
Writer: Robbie Percy
Director of Broadcast Production: Steph Walker-Wells
Broadcast Producer: Alex Butt
Director of Print Production: AJ Merrick
Print Producer: Agnes Gilchrist
Studio Director: Brad Kumar
Studio Artist: Todd Bennett
Director of Digital Content: Todd Harrison
Digital Producer: Kyle Hicks
Digital Designer: Dustin Gamble
Developer: Steve Lam
Production Company: Asymetric
Executive Producer: Evan Landry, Nick Burry
Director: Brooks Reynolds
Editor: Christopher Chang
Director of photography: Kiel Milligan
Line Producer: Iseault McNamara
Post Production House: Saints Editorial
Executive Producer: Morgan Campbell
On-Line: Alexa Salsberg, Darling VFX
On-Line Assistant: Russell Hanson, Darling VFX
Grading: Kassi Bellamy, Darling VFX
Executive Producer: Mackenzie Goodwin, Emily McKay
Audio House: OSO
Producer: Hannah Graham
CD / Audio Engineer: Harry Knazan, Daenen Bramberger
Director of Client Services: Marie Lunny
Editorial Lead: Lianne George
Pyrotechnics and VFX: Gustavo Franco
Printing and Props: Joe Scout, Club Ink
Printing and Fabrication: Doug Laxdal, Jeremy Martin, The Gas Company Inc.
Client: Jared Bland, Publisher, McClelland & Stewart at Penguin Random House Canada