Design > Communication Design
THE BLACK GRAMMY
TBWA\CHIAT\DAY, Los Angeles / THE GRAMMY AWARDS / 2024
Awards:
Overview
Credits
Overview
Why is this work relevant for Design?
We changed the color of the Grammy for the first time in its 66 year history from gold to a sleek, jet black and created an entirely new award - The Global Impact Award - and awarded it to a diverse artist who had not just a great year, but a lifetime of impact and change in the music industry.
A seemingly simple change that signifies so much and will reverberate through the music industry for years to come.
Is this product available for purchase?
No.
Please provide any cultural context that would help the Jury understand any cultural, national or regional nuances applicable to this work.
The Recording Academy is a non profit organization that supports music and artists around the world advocating for credit, equity and diversity. Its marquee event each year is the Grammy Awards – The Biggest Night In Music.
Background
For years our partnership with the Recording Academy was built on advocating for diversity, credit and inclusion. Various social campaigns, films and activations supported initiatives including She Is Music, Women In the Mix and Behind the Record.
Yet still they faced the same criticism on Grammys night for passing over minority and female voices for the biggest awards. And the criticism was getting louder every year. Hashtags like #Grammysowhite and public snubs and feuds with the likes of Kanye, The Weeknd and more were hurting the viewership and brand relevancy.
Behind the scenes sweeping changes were taking place at the Recording Academy and it was time to take that message to the Grammys stage.
Describe the creative idea
For the first time in 66 years, we changed the color of The Grammys’ iconic statue to black to signify the sweeping changes going on at the Recording Academy itself. We created not just a new category, but a new award — The Global Impact Award is now the most rare and coveted award. It’s voted on by the Black Music Collective and goes to an artist for not just an amazing year but a lifetime of impact.
Describe the execution
The awards are made of a custom metal alloy called grammium (yes, really), and are cast from three molds: one for the base, one for the gramophone cabinet and one for the tone arm, which holds the bell. After the pieces are cast, they go through a series of filing, sanding and polishing processes.
Finally, the gramophone cabinet and tone arm are plated in sleek black anodized aluminum (not unlike an iPhone) instead of the usual 24k gold.
Only one is made per year, and two thus far in history, making it the rarest and most exclusive Grammy ever created.
List the results
The two telecasts and resulting earned media and social impressions and PR resulted in over 1.9 billion overall impressions. Over 90% positive net sentiment (negative largely related to Dre/Jay Z haters, and not the award itself).
This is now the most rare and coveted Grammy. It now gives a platform and a voice to artists who have paved the way for others and changed music forever. It gives young artists something to aspire to and has finally begun to change the perception of the Grammys as old, white, and out of touch.
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