70 million skilled workers are screened out of job opportunities - rejected by algorithms, individual bias, and stereotypes for lacking a bachelor’s degree when millions of jobs remain unfilled. AdCouncil and Opportunity@Work came to us to help them rewire the labor market and fight degree discrimination. Through audience interviews, we uncovered that employers didn’t realize that they were part of the problem they were trying to solve. 

To solve it, we named it. "The Paper Ceiling" created an instant understanding of the barrier facing skilled workers without degrees. We launched a rallying cry for both employers and workers to tear through this ceiling. The campaign worked toward building a more equitable and inclusive labor market based on performance, not pedigree, and inclusion, not exclusion; skills, not degrees.

The campaign generated 3.3B+ impressions and drove real systemic change, with 21 US states revising their recruiting policies and 400K+ new job opportunities created.