2025Team & Awards
The Kleenex Score
- When
- Early 2025, around the Academy Awards
- Client
- Kleenex
- Partners
- VML, Amazon
- My role
- Head of IMDb Creative Studio
- Built with
- Video Wall+, Custom Video Sponsorship, Custom Landing Page
A team effort with VML and Amazon. I led IMDb Creative Studio as Head of Creative Studio.
- 251MMpeople reached across social
- +5.6%sales in week one, vs. the year before
- +14.4%sales by week four, vs. the year before
- 35%of purchases from first-time buyers
- 2025 Cannes Lions: Silver Lion, Media
- 2025 Cannes Lions: Bronze Lion, Creative Commerce
- 3 Cannes Lions shortlists: Brand Experience and Activation, Direct Data & Technology, Direct Culture & Context
- 2026 Los Angeles American Advertising Awards: Silver ADDY, Web Banner Ad or Website Takeover
Press Ad Age, MUSE by Clios, Little Black Book, Brand Equity, TrendWatching, Trend Hunter, CW33, Wersm
We launched just before the Academy Awards, when audiences were actively searching for emotional, award-worthy films.
Sebastian Cuevas
The idea
Movie lovers often go into a film without knowing how emotional it’s going to get. Kleenex wanted a fun, useful way to show up in those moments, before the tears start falling. Together with VML and Amazon, my team at IMDb Creative Studio built The Kleenex Score, a new rating system on IMDb that tells you a movie’s emotional impact before you hit play, so you can have a tissue on hand.
What we built
The Kleenex Score launched around the 2025 Academy Awards with a curated list of Tearjerker Titles, a mix of nostalgic favorites and emotional new releases. A Video Wall+ takeover on IMDb’s homepage sent fans to a custom landing page with each film’s tear rating, videos and shoppable Kleenex products, alongside a custom video sponsorship.
The results
The campaign reached 251 million people across social. Sales rose 5.6% in the first week compared to the year before, and 14.4% by week four. 35% of purchases came from first-time buyers, and fans moved up to larger Kleenex packages. The work won a Silver Lion and a Bronze Lion at Cannes Lions 2025, and a Silver ADDY at the 2026 Los Angeles American Advertising Awards.
Credits
VML, IMDb and Amazon
- Jessica GazzaniAccount Executive
- Mika TonchevaSr. Sales Account Manager
- Taylor OrtegaCreative Campaign Manager
- Riel PhillipsHead of Creative Studio
- Zoe ShiovitzSr. UX Design Manager
- Wilson SalojUX Interactive Designer
- Adam TomaSenior Art Director
- Michael TruemanSr. Design Technologist
- Michelle NelsonSr. Content Marketing Manager
- Vanessa WesleySr. Sponsorship Editor
- Lindsay CampbellHead of Originals
- Alex LoganSenior Producer
- Matt DetischSr. Production and Post Manager
- Randall ChuEditor
- Bapu GriscomProduction Support
- Christopher ArensMotion Graphics
Ask me about this project
See all the team’s work and awards
