Digital economy is driving faster than the ability of society to cope with it and people's needs are often ignored putting at risk the sustainable growth of society. As a communications company that works daily to further develop the digital economy, dentsu wants to change that. The main goal of our social initiative The Code is to equip the next generation of talents from junior high and high school classes with the necessary skills to thrive in the digital economy and turn its challenges into early careers opportunities for students. In 2021, the project sets an even more ambitious goal - to create not only interest in digital career opportunities but to show students how they can put their digital skillset to work for a cause and make a real social impact by fighting food waste problem

The Code targets junior high and high school students across all schools in Bulgaria. The target range was chosen after a research that found the students in this class range have already the full capacity to make informed decisions for their professional development. Dentsu uses a direct contact with schools and the respective teachers who select the most engaged students. The secondary target group is the dentsu employees, who are selected by the organizers as mentors via an internal campaign

One of the main pillars of dentsu's social impact policy is Digital for Good - we utilize our digital capabilities to the betterment of society. The Code is working precisely in the direction to create a generation of empowered digital citizens. The program takes place annually and spans across three weeks to one month. In 2021 it was its third edition with no framework change. However, since 2020 The Code is performed online to increase the inclusion of students across the whole country.

Dentsu experts focused their efforts to build an educational module that would facilitate the idea that the smartphone stuck to each student’s hand and the social media they use to build their personal image can become a future career, but also an opportunity to create a real social impact. The dentsu volunteers held one-day workshops with 70 students from 6 schools, giving them a taster of what it is like to build a successful marketing campaign. They gained insight into best-in-class case studies, and then went on to tackle their own real-life client brief in teams supported by a dedicated mentor from our volunteers. In the following days students’ pitching skills were put to test. They had time to develop their ideas working with their mentors and prepare final presentations to apply for the final round "The Rise Up Challenge". Like a real pitch they submitted their proposals to be assessed and enter the final round. Shortlisted teams pitched in front of a senior panel of judges. The winning team has now an opportunity for their campaign to be used by the client.

The Code succeeded to engage 100% of the students involved in the educational program. No team gave up on participating in the pitch challenge upon the end of theoretical module and no student was left behind in the discussions without making a real contribution to their team’s idea. Mondelez assessed very high the quality of the strategic proposals and will give them a chance to be released in the social media channels of the Moreni brand. This will provide students not only with accolades, but also with the opportunity to see their work in a real media environment. Implementing The Code entirely online led also to a higher level of inclusion - 1/3 of the participants were schools outside the capital city, and the program was implemented 100% paperless and environmentally friendly.