We built “The Mighty Pencil Machine” – a highly customised machine that turned online messages of support into real pencils that would be used to tackle illiteracy via our Project Literacy partners.

The campaign showed that the pencil truly is mightier than the sword.

A single pencil is a hugely powerful transformative device. It can help someone to read and write which can then have an effect on numerous aspects of their lives including health, poverty, gender equality and employment prospects.

The campaign would cross from the digital world into the physical with an exhibition space in New York where the pencils were created and then passed onto literacy partners to be used in actual literacy programmes. We effectively turned a message of support from an influencer or the public into a powerful device for change.

The campaign came to life in four stages:

1. Influencer Launch - Julianne Moore launched the Mighty Pencil Machine on International Literacy Day on the ground in New York. 25 other major celebrities including Emma Watson, Idris Elba, Elton John and Usain Bolt added their support across their social platforms and helped us achieve a massive spike of fame, generating significant PR coverage.

2. Online Message of Support – People were then driven to the online experience to add their messages of support.

3. Pencil Machine Exhibition – Real pencils were then created at our exhibition space in New York and people were educated on the difference literacy can make.

4. Literacy Programmes – The pencils were then passed onto our literacy partners to be used by people learning to read and write.

The campaign achieved impressive results and successfully bridged the digital/physical divide:

- 1.1billion media impressions

- 225 media articles

- 21m social impressions on a single day

- 200,000 pencils created and given to literacy charities

- 5% increase in the number of people concerned about illiteracy as a global issue

- People likely to donate to literacy campaigns has doubled from 7% to 14%

- 72% of people are more positive towards Pearson as a result of knowing about their involvement in the campaign and 67% are more likely to purchase a Pearson product