D&AD has announced this year’s Pencil winners in Collaborative, the category that celebrates long-lasting relationships between clients and their design, advertising and/or production companies that have led to the creation of amazing work over time.

The 2020 Collaborative Pencil winners are:

Turner Duckworth & Miller Lite: Creative Agency Category

MillerCoors joined forces with Turner Duckworth in 2014. A partnership until the present day which has seen a vast 5% YOY decline halted, shift in consumer perception & creative success with 25+ awards.

Bruce Duckworth, chief creative officer and chief executive officer of Turner Duckworth, commented: “Thank you D&AD, it’s so rewarding for the team to win this award. They have tirelessly delivered creative excellence for the brand time after time. And also for our client too, who has backed us and believed in our work for the last 6 years.”

Watch D&AD’s Turner Duckworth interview about the collaboration here

Dentsu Inc. & East Japan Railway Company: Design Agency Category

Get Back, Tohoku. is an ongoing, nine-year campaign developed for the East Japan Railway Company after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan’s Tohoku region. Launched in the wake of tragedy, it required close client-agency collaboration and a relationship of trust to make daring decisions in unprecedented circumstances. Presenting trains as heroic figures that unite people and communities, it has lifted the spirits of a suffering nation and contributed to the recovery of the railway and the entire Tohoku region.

Yoshihiro Yagi, Creative Director at Dentsu Inc., commented: “JR East assumes a large role in Japan’s social infrastructure and businesses that are relevant to local communities. The decade-long ‘Get Back, Tohoku’ is a campaign that well represents the company’s mission. It has continued a conversation with the local people and has continued to send messages to say that they are there for them. It has been a great honour for Dentsu to play a small part in this mission. Creativity is much needed to help local communities thrive and to help residents be proud of the communities they belong to. I hope the client and the agency can continue to work together, making use of technology, design, and most of all creativity, to keep the story alive.”

Watch D&AD’s interview with interviews Yoshihiro Yagi, creative director at Dentsu Inc. about the collaboration here.

Today’s news follows D&AD’s previous announcements for winners in Impact, Side Hustle, Next, Craft, Advertising, Culture and Design. Additional Pencil winner announcements are scheduled for 8 September and 10 September.

Find all of this year’s Pencil winners so far here.

Dara Lynch, chief operating officer at D&AD, commented: “Creative excellence thrives on bold thinking, trust and exchange, which we are excited to celebrate through this year’s two Collaborative Pencils. Where Turner Duckworth’s ongoing partnership with Miller Lite helped transform an iconic beer brand, Dentsu Inc.’s work with East Japan Railway Company highlights creative collaboration as a tool for uniting communities in the wake of a tragedy. As the creative industries undergo significant change, we can all learn from this year’s Collaborative Pencil winners about the importance of forging enduring relationships to help create a robust and united future.”