Put yourself first.

How we turned teenage egoism into a force for societal good

The Challenge

Reaching 14-15-year-olds making crucial education decisions is notoriously difficult. They're in the middle of brain development, naturally risk-taking, egocentric, and have poor long-term thinking. Yet they must choose an education path that affects both their future and society's workforce needs.

Previous campaigns using adult ambassadors weren't breaking through the noise. With social media users giving ads only 1.8 seconds before scrolling, we needed a completely new approach to capture attention and drive students toward education programs with labor shortages.

The STRATEGIC INSIGHT

Instead of fighting teenage egoism, we embraced it. Our core insight: what if we could make selfish choices feel good while actually serving society's needs?

We developed "The Ego Paradox" - a concept that celebrates self-centered decision-making with a twist: the "selfish" choice is actually the socially responsible one. By choosing education programs with job opportunities, students put themselves first while helping solve labor shortages.

The Creative Solution

We created a multi-phase campaign featuring teenagers in deliberately self-satisfied poses, combined with provocatively selfish messaging that you'd never normally say out loud.

Phase 1 - Awareness: Attention-grabbing visuals with bold, ego-driven statements Phase 2 - Consideration: Animated content highlighting specific career opportunities

Phase 3 - Decision: Final push during application period

We also targeted secondary audiences (parents and school counselors) with the same tone, reminding them that there are opportunities for all types of talents.

Awareness

consideration & Decision

secondary target group

The Execution

Content:

  • 13 social media ads across multiple platforms (Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube)

  • 5 Google Display Network ads for broader reach

  • New ambassador films featuring students closer to the target age

  • Redesigned landing page with better packaging of existing content

  • Multi-channel strategy spanning 10 weeks with strategic pauses

  • Organic amplification through Region Skåne's own channels

The campaign was tested with the target audience, with only the most provocatively selfish messages making the final cut.

My Role

Creative Lead & Senior Art Director
  • Led the strategic development of "The Ego Paradox" concept, transforming a complex behavioral insight into actionable campaign strategy

  • Led comprehensive target audience research and testing, ensuring only the most provocatively effective messages made the final cut

  • Directed visual identity development for the multi-phase campaign, establishing a bold aesthetic that deliberately challenged conventional education marketing

  • Worked with cross-functional creative team including copywriters, designers, and digital specialists

  • Presented strategic concepts and campaign rationale to Region Skåne stakeholders, securing buy-in for unconventional approach
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