The Brief *
TASK
Create a back to college campaign for Bed Bath & Beyond.
BACKGROUND
Bed Bath & Beyond has always made it easy for students to create a space of their own. With students beginning to return to campus this year, the goal is to position the brand as the solution-oriented destination for college shopping.
CHALLENGE
College doesn’t look the way that it used to and won’t be the same for everyone.
OPPORTUNITY
Young adults are resourceful. Equip them with the best tools possible and they can take care of the rest.
INSIGHT
College students have a lot of first-time lessons to learn.
STRATEGY
Embrace the unknowns of adulting,
The Creative Idea
Organize the chaos.
Anthro 101
From the very first day of my strategic planning boot camp, I was told to think like a cultural anthropologist. So for this project I went back to an O.G., the Dutch-German-French ethnographer Arnold van Gennep who coined the term “rite of passage”. It is defined as a ceremony or event that marks a major change in a person’s life. It shifts the way we relate to ourselves, our community, and the role we play in the world.
The college experience is one of the most definitive rites of passage in the United States. If remote learning taught us anything it’s that when the world is your classroom, everyone can be your teacher. But as students begin to return to campus their reality is looking a bit different now.
The Strategic Process
Embrace the Unknowns
Working on the consumer journey uncovered an interesting observation. Why is it so hard to picture college students shopping for home goods? It’s because they don’t know how. For the better part of four years they were working towards getting into their dream school, not thinking which shower caddy would avoid a mold build-up by midterms.
To better understand what college looks like today I went into the belly of the Gen Z beast: TikToK. I scrolled through endless dorm tours and packing tips, and what I discovered was how resourceful young people can be. What I also gained was empathy. I was reminded that not that long ago I was in that very same position. It may not look perfect, it’s going to hit the fan sometimes, but that’s okay because we learn by doing.
Our creative executions were grounded on the idea of celebrating each step of this rite of passage. It may only be bath towels, but it’s a milestone. Growing up isn’t about knowing all the answers, it’s about navigating the the uncertainty of our dazed lives.
Creative Executions
* Miami Ad School Project