The archive · Content & Film · Marketing decision · 2024–2025
LinkedIn silences bad career advice with animated stickers — D&AD 2025 Grand Prix
Three social-first films show a Gen Z job-starter drowning in unsolicited advice; a LinkedIn sticker redirects her to real creators.
What it had to solve
LinkedIn was rolling out immersive video and wanted Gen Z to use it, but 18-to-25-year-olds were the least confident generation at work and felt overwhelmed by where to get career advice.
How it works
In late 2024 LinkedIn launched 'Know-How That Sticks', a social-first campaign with VCCP London aimed at Gen Z and built around the platform's new immersive video feature. LinkedIn's own research found that 18-to-25-year-olds were the least confident generation in their current job, and that young people felt overwhelmed by the many places offering career advice.
The creative made the problem visible: a young professional starting out is surrounded by quirky animated talking stickers that offer conflicting, questionable advice. As the noise builds, a LinkedIn sticker steps in as the voice of reason and points her to videos by trusted creators — Patrick Quinton-Smith on finding the right job, Shola West on interviews, and Heather Elkington on speaking up in meetings. The stickers were animated by VCCP's content studio Girl&Bear, with direction by Price James.
Each film ended with the line 'Get the right know-how, from the right people' and ran natively on LinkedIn and across Meta. The campaign won the D&AD 2025 Grand Prix in the Instructional Video category.
Why it lands
- It dramatizes the insight instead of stating it: viewers feel the overwhelm of conflicting advice rather than being told it exists.
- The sticker device is ownable and repeatable, and it ties the campaign directly to LinkedIn's new immersive video feed.
- It gives creators real authority instead of borrowing celebrity, matching the platform's professional purpose.
What it did
Won the D&AD 2025 Grand Prix for Instructional Video and promoted LinkedIn's immersive video, a format whose uploads had grown 34% and which drew 40% more engagement than written posts.
What you can take
When the category is noise, make the noise the enemy: give the brand a character that cuts through, and let the product's own format carry the message.
Since then
Launched in October 2024, the three-episode series ran across LinkedIn and Meta. At the D&AD Awards 2025 it took the Grand Prix for Instructional Video. The campaign fed LinkedIn's broader video push, a format that had grown 34% in uploads since 2017 and delivered 40% more engagement than written posts.
Sources
- LinkedIn launches social-first campaign to equip the next generation of workers with key professional skills
- LinkedIn and VCCP Equip the Next Generation of Workers with Professional Knowledge and Skills
- VCCP Wins at D&AD and Shorty Awards 2025
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