Meet the Team Behind Crayola's 'Color Yourself Into the World'

Every year, the Effie Awards celebrate the global advertising industry's most effective advertising efforts. The Effie Awards are known by advertisers and agencies globally as the pre-eminent award in the industry. We are proud to share that 'Color Yourself Into the World' for Crayola earned a gold at the 2021 Effie Awards in the Multicultural – Products category.   

To celebrate our accomplishment, we asked the people behind the work to explain why this project was meaningful to them. 

Mallory Jones, Director, integrated strategy: "I remember what it was like to try to draw my self-portrait in elementary school. To feel so small and inconsequential when I realized there wasn’t a color for me. Thinking my color wasn’t included because it didn’t belong there. So, it meant a lot to me to have the opportunity to articulate what Colors of the World could do: give every child the power to create their place in the world by coloring themselves into it." 

James McCawley account director: "This project proved to be so much more than providing kids with tools to color themselves into the world. It was an honor to work with Crayola, an iconic brand who recognized its responsibility to shift perception and have a real impact on how children feel they belong in this world by representing them with authenticity and purpose."

Stephen Stallings, senior music producer: "My favorite part of this project was seeing kids out in the world excited about representing themselves accurately in their drawings.  We forget how much young children can latch onto specifics, so being able to see themselves in their own drawings could open up artistic possibilities in which kids of previous generations might have been less interested in."  

Michael Greenberg, group creative director – copy: "I grew up feeling like I didn’t belong. And since I never saw people like me represented, I also believed that I wasn’t welcome or wanted. It was a crappy feeling, and why it was even more meaningful to work on a campaign that aimed to make all kids feel valued, affirmed, and seen. I want all kids to have the power to express themselves and be celebrated for exactly who they are—regardless of race, gender identity, ability, or sexual orientation."

Jules Evenson, group creative director - art: "I loved seeing how excited kids became when they found their crayon and how emotional the grown-ups became when they found theirs! Also, I am grateful for the conversations that this project inspired with our team and client. Shit got real. We shared and really analyzed our childhoods in terms of how our families dealt with racism."

Craig Cimmino, executive creative director: "Working on this project I was given the opportunity to make a huge impact on the lives of children around the world. How many people get a chance to do that in this business?" 

Lauren Lampasi, senior content producer: "My favorite part about working on this project was seeing the real responses from both kids and their parents when they found their crayon. There was excitement, joy, laughter and tears (many of my own). All kids deserve to feel valued and seen and it was a pleasure working on a project where we were aiming to do that."

Grant Flannery, group strategy director: "My favorite part of this project is that it goes way beyond advertising. This product and campaign will live and breathe in culture for years to come, and the product actually changes kids' lives for the better. Working with a dedicated team that pushed to bring the right insight around "Invisibility" to life, paired with a client that set the vision in motion made this a great project to be a part of. As a father of a half white/half Asian boy, I am proud to have been a part of a product that will allow him to color himself into the world."

Congratulations to the dentsuMB and Crayola teams for this well-deserved win.