THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists!

Industry

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Strategy & Engagement

See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Brand Partnership See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Call to Action See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Community Management See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Creative Use of Technology See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> CTV/OTT See previous winners and honorees for Insights and Trends here.</a> <a href=https://shortyawards.com/17th/"https://shortyawards.com/category/16th/data-visualization">See previous winners and honorees for Data Visualization here.</a>"> Data & Insights See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Earned Media See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Event & Experiential See previous winners and honorees here.</a>""> Gamification See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Humor See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Innovative Media Buying Strategy See previous winners and honorees here.</a>""> Integration with Traditional Media See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Internal Communications See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> LGBTQ Community Engagement See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Micro-Influencer Strategy See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Multicultural Community Engagement See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Music & Dance See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> On a Shoestring See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Organic Promotion See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Paid & Amplification See previous winner and honorees here.</a>"> Physical and Digital Convergence See previous winner and honorees here.</a>"> Public Service Announcement See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Real Time Response See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> SEO & SEM See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Social Commerce See previous winners and honorees here.</a>"> Storytelling

Gold Bond + Sport’s Illustrated Swimsuit Legends

Entered in Multi-Platform Campaign

Objective

Establish Gold Bond as the go-to authority in body skincare by leveraging a bold, culturally relevant partnership that delivers measurable sales growth and brand awareness. To drive true brand transformation, Gold Bond needed to engage target consumers in a powerful, memorable way—boosting visibility, relevance, and bottom-line impact.

Strategy

Gold Bond’s partnership with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit for its 60th anniversary was a bold move to redefine body skincare, bridging generational beauty and self-care. The campaign, “Legendary Tips For All Your Summer Skins,” leveraged iconic models Christie Brinkley, Jasmine Sanders, and Chanel Iman, alongside celebrity makeup artist Sir John, to showcase Gold Bond’s full line of high-performance moisturizers and creams. By tapping into cultural icons, the campaign challenged outdated perceptions of the brand while driving relevancy and consideration across all age groups.

 

Plan of Action & Execution

Gold Bond executed a multi-platform, multi-touchpoint approach that engaged consumers across digital, social, experiential, and print media:

 

Challenges & How We Overcame Them

  1. Breaking Gold Bond’s Outdated Perception
    • Gold Bond was still largely known for its foot powder rather than its moisturizing and skincare solutions.
    • Solution: Unified messaging across all platforms emphasized Gold Bond’s innovation, premium formulas, and relevance in full-body skincare.
  2. Appealing to a Younger Demographic Without Alienating Loyal Consumers
    • The brand needed to attract younger, skincare-conscious consumers (18-34) while maintaining its core audience (35+).
    • Solution: The campaign leaned on SI Swim’s multi-generational appeal and talent from different age groups to create an inclusive message.
  3. Cutting Through a Crowded Skincare Market
    • The body skincare category is highly saturated, making it difficult to stand out.
    • Solution: By leveraging SI Swim’s 60th anniversary, Gold Bond embedded itself in a major cultural moment that no competitor could replicate.

What Made This Work Unique?

This campaign was more than a sponsorship—it was a fully integrated brand collaboration that leveraged influencers, media partnerships, and digital-first storytelling to transform Gold Bond’s cultural perception. By seamlessly integrating brand, talent, and media, the campaign not only amplified awareness and engagement but also drove tangible business impact. Gold Bond and SI Swim proved that when two legendary brands come together, they can redefine beauty, skincare, and cultural relevance in a way that spans generations.

 

Results

The Gold Bond x Sports Illustrated Swim campaign exceeded expectations across every key objective, proving the effectiveness of a multi-platform partnership in driving brand relevance, perception, and sales.

Brand Awareness & Buzz: Gold Bond achieved a 70% increase in brand buzz, successfully shifting perceptions and embedding itself in cultural conversations. This milestone validated the campaign’s ability to capture younger audiences (18-34) without alienating loyal consumers (35+). The younger, skincare-obsessed audience has substantial purchasing power in the category and is drawn to products that deliver advanced, high-performance results. Engaging this group was essential to building Gold Bond’s relevance in an industry that frequently focuses on newness and innovation.

However, Gold Bond also had to retain its longstanding, loyal consumer base, who seek straightforward, effective solutions for skin health.This dual audience required balancing youthful appeal with a message of timeless credibility and efficacy—a challenge in a category crowded with trend-driven brands.

Quality Perception & Credibility: The campaign delivered an 11% lift in quality perception, demonstrating the impact of leveraging trusted influencers like Jasmine Sanders and Sir John to reposition Gold Bond as a premium body skincare brand.

Sales Impact & Business Growth: The campaign drove a 5% improvement in sales trends, effectively cutting six months of double-digit sales declines in half. This proves that strategic, influencer-led partnerships can directly impact revenue and consumer behavior.

The campaign’s seamless execution across print, digital, social, and experiential activations ensured deep consumer engagement. Ultimately, Gold Bond transformed its perception, proving that when a legacy brand taps into the right cultural moment, it can drive awareness, trust, and real business impact.

 

Media

Entrant Company / Organization Name

Lippe Taylor, Gold Bond – Opella North America, FKA Sanofi Consumer Healthcare

Links

Entry Credits