JanSport shoots back-to-school on iPhones, at Gen Z eye level

A global multimedia back-to-school campaign for America's favourite backpack company, running until September 4, 2023, across paid media and organic social, plus a media event in New York.

A 60-second spot with cutdowns — five :30s, eight :15s, two :06s — plus banners and GIFs, on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. Stories like 'Get Swole', 'Holy Zip', 'Pick Me Up' and 'Racoon Robbery' starred NYC thrift icon Emma Rogue, indie rock band DWLLRS, skater Eunice Chang and gamer Krystalogy, mixed with stories researched from young Gen-Z consumers. A media event at Rogue's NYC store added custom backpacks, a gift card and an authentic payphone for shareable street-culture imagery.

The work was built to read as authentic consumer content rather than advertising — portrait video at eye level with the consumer, real creator stories, and an event designed to generate social imagery.

Full-service digital agency Human launched 'Always With You', a global back-to-school campaign for JanSport, America's favourite backpack company, running until September 4, 2023 — the agency's first big push since winning the business in 2022. The objective: tap into Gen Zers' love of nostalgia and on-trend style just in time for back to school, and show that JanSport 'gets them'.

The craft decision carried the idea. Human shot the film component on iPhones in a portrait orientation native to TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, bringing the brand eye level with its consumer so the content felt authentic and consumer-generated. Influential voices — thrift icon Emma Rogue, indie rock band DWLLRS, skater Eunice Chang, gamer Krystalogy — told stories of 'their pack', whether a pack of friends or a JanSport, in segments like 'Get Swole', 'Holy Zip', 'Pick Me Up' and 'Racoon Robbery', alongside stories researched from young Gen-Z consumers themselves.

The buy matched the content: a 60-second hero spot with five :30s, eight :15s and two :06s cutdowns, banners and GIFs across paid and organic social, plus a New York media event at Emma Rogue's store Rogue — custom backpacks for attendees, a gift card to outfit-match the new pack, and an authentic payphone installation tying the brand into NYC street culture.

Portrait, shot-on-iPhone form removes the ad accent: the film is technically indistinguishable from the creator content Gen Z already watches.

Casting niche creators — thrift, skate, indie music, gaming — reaches distinct tribe audiences through people they trust.

Folding researched consumer stories into the campaign makes the audience co-authors, not targets.

A physical store event manufactured shareable moments, extending paid media into organic social reach.

Authenticity is a production choice: shoot vertical on the device the audience holds, cast people they already follow, and the brand joins the feed instead of interrupting it.

The campaign ran through September 4, 2023 across paid media, organic social and the New York event; no performance figures are recorded in the coverage.