Beco's 'Steal Our Staff' wins Cannes Lions 2021 Grand Prix in Health and Wellness

U.K. toiletries brand Beco won the Cannes Lions Grand Prix in Health and Wellness for “#StealOurStaff,” a campaign created out of TBWA London that promoted higher employment of individuals with disabilities. The company is known for making environmentally-friendly products, with a workforce comprised of 80% team members who have visual impairment or other disabilities. 

While Beco has been doing its part in hiring diverse staff, the company challenged other British businesses to do the same with this campaign. One in five people living in the U.K. have disabilities, with an estimated 48% of those unemployed. That amounts to more than one million job-seekers and a disability unemployment gap of 30% (only 52% of those with disabilities are employed compared to 82% of the general working population).

The push debuted in late 2019 and included a packaging takeover the put staffers’ resumes on product labels. Press executions also included an open letter asking other employers to hire more individuals with disabilities. A spot showcased Beco’s own team members but also invited others to “steal” them. The campaign drove a 96% lift in sales year over year for Beco products and 40 brands contacted the company to hire its staffers that appeared in the campaign. 

“‘Steal our Staff’ was an upside down recruitment campaign by a little soap brand that brought big corporations to task and disrupted employers’ outdated attitudes toward people with disabilities,” said Andy Jex, chief creative officer for TBWA\London in a statement. “Turning it from a thought into a thing was a long road and took a lot of heart and dedication. I’m delighted for the whole team, whose passion and personality shine through in all the work.”