We raised awareness like you might for any cause: with a run.

A 4.01K, to be exact—only this time, the charity was the runners’ own future selves. And the entry fee? A commitment to donate just one percent more of their income to retirement. As part of our “Bring Your Challenges” campaign, we invited people to attend a huge race and festival where we could educate them about saving for retirement in way that they could better understand—all while they were active and having fun. We planned the race in the nation’s capital.

And we blanketed Washington, DC, with radio, online and out-of-home advertisements, including a takeover of the Union Station Metro station, to encourage runners to register. Under a still-gray sky (and a light drizzle), thousands came to run.

Using RFID technology, we made the race interactive, encouraging runners to actually think about their futures and make decisions as they ran. Even if you couldn’t make it to DC, you could still run your own 4.01K with MapMyFitness. More than 80,000 people from across the nation signed up to run.

Agency: Droga5 New York

Role: Art Director

Awards: D&AD Wood Pencil 2016