Gazeta.pl: The Last Ever Issue
Gazeta.pl, BNP Paribas, and Mastercard tasked VMLY&R Poland with creating a high - impact campaign for International Women's Day. They wanted to address the deep - seated culture of sexism and lack of sex education in Poland. The goal was to move beyond traditional advertising to spark a national conversation about gender equality and the objectification of women among a broad Polish audience.
Creative Idea
Buying a legendary porn magazine to publish a sexism - free final issue before closing it.
To challenge Poland's culture of sexism, Gazeta.pl bought the country's oldest porn magazine and transformed its final edition into a manifesto for gender equality, using a familiar format to educate the very audience raised on its objectifying content.
Buying Polands Oldest Porn Magazine to Kill It
The Allegro Auction Strategy
The project began with a bizarre discovery: the 27 - year - old adult title Twój Weekend was listed for sale on Allegro, the Polish equivalent of eBay. Recognizing a unique opportunity to remove a source of sexism from the market, VMLY&R Poland convinced Gazeta.pl, BNP Paribas, and Mastercard to pool their resources for a secret buyout. The team operated in total confidentiality to prevent legal interference or public backlash that might have blocked the acquisition before the final issue could hit newsstands.
Subverting the Traditional Layout
To reach the magazine’s core male demographic, the creative team employed a "Trojan Horse" strategy. They maintained the original fonts, column headings, and layout to ensure the issue looked familiar at first glance. However, the content was entirely subverted. The "Girl of the Month" section, traditionally reserved for nude models, featured UFC World Champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk discussing physical strength and resilience. Other contributors included actress Ewa Kasprzyk and singer Karolina Czarnecka, while the photography was handled exclusively by a female collective including Zuza Krajewska and Weronika Ławniczak.
A Decade High Sales Record
The 48 - page manifesto replaced pornography with essays on the gender pay gap, professional empowerment, and comprehensive sex education. The impact was immediate: the "Last Ever Issue" became the bestselling edition in 10 years, selling out its entire print run. It generated over 25 million media impressions and reached 4.5 million people in a country of 28 million adults. Following the publication, the magazine’s digital assets were permanently transitioned into an educational platform for gender equality.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
A liberal news portal committed to progressive values and social progress in a conservative political climate.
Category
Media outlets often report on sexism without taking direct, tangible action to dismantle the sources of objectification.
Customer
Polish men who lacked formal sex education and were culturally conditioned to view women through a pornographic lens.
Culture
A rising global #MeToo movement clashing with local government efforts to restrict women's rights and gender equality.
Company
A liberal news portal committed to progressive values and social progress in a conservative political climate.
Category
Media outlets often report on sexism without taking direct, tangible action to dismantle the sources of objectification.
Strategy:
Acquire and subvert a symbol of the problem to physically replace degradation with education.
Customer
Polish men who lacked formal sex education and were culturally conditioned to view women through a pornographic lens.
Culture
A rising global #MeToo movement clashing with local government efforts to restrict women's rights and gender equality.
Strategy:
Acquire and subvert a symbol of the problem to physically replace degradation with education.
Results
The campaign achieved 4.5M organic reach and 25M media impressions. The 'Last Ever Issue' became the best-selling issue of the magazine in 10 years. It sparked a nationwide debate and received praise from major outlets like Newsweek, Elle, and Vice. The magazine's social channels were successfully converted into a long-term education platform for sexuality and gender issues.
4.5M
organic reach
25M
media impressions
10 years
best-selling issue in a decade
Strategy Technique
Turn Brand Values Into Action
Rather than just launching an awareness campaign, the brands demonstrated their commitment to gender equality by investing capital to acquire and permanently dismantle a symbol of female objectification.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Hijack the Medium
By purchasing a 27 - year - old pornographic title, the brands physically removed a source of sexism from newsstands and used its established distribution network to deliver a message of empowerment to its traditional male readership.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
This campaign's brilliance lies in its bold media strategy—buying the very source of the problem to dismantle it—and the high-quality editorial design that replaced the original content.
The strategic acquisition of a pornographic magazine to shut it down is a masterclass in disruptive media usage.
The redesign of the magazine into a high-end, respectful editorial piece completely subverted the original brand's visual language.
