Our work

A resounding “no” to inappropriate behavior

SocietyDesign & Strategy

What we did

Campaign concept and strategy
Straightforward copywriting
Campaign design
Rollout at the Jette and Etterbeek campuses

Target audience

Anyone who studies, works, or is staying on a VUB campus.

24,000

students reached

VRT NWS

picked up on the campaign

VUB website →

Challenge

How to address a sensitive topic with VUB staff and students

VUB has a clear policy on inappropriate behavior. But a policy alone doesn’t change a culture. Whether on campus, in the auditorium, or at a bar after class: how do you ensure that a sensitive topic truly resonates with students and staff? And how do you do that in a way that reflects who the VUB is: recognizable, direct, and to the point?

Result

Not a subtle hint, but a literal red line: “No Way”

The campaign element was as visible as it was simple: an orange ribbon, printed with bold slogans in the VUB’s corporate colors, that was literally rolled out across the entire campus. The campaign raised awareness of inappropriate behavior within the VUB community. As simple as it was effective: even VRT News picked up on it, extending its impact far beyond the campus walls.

Approach

Circumventing it is not an option

Inappropriate behavior always exists somewhere between the lines: everyone knows it happens, but almost no one talks about it. That was our challenge: to make a topic that people would rather avoid so tangible that they could no longer avoid it.

An abstract concept becomes tangible

That became the starting point for the concept: a line that you must physically cross or pass. Not because a line is original in and of itself, but because it does exactly what the theme requires: it makes visible what remained hidden and translates “boundary” from an abstract concept into something that literally lies beneath your feet or right in front of you.

Draw the line, in the most literal sense

It’s no coincidence: research on social norms shows that when something appears everywhere, it feels “normal” to comment on it more quickly. So put it everywhere, and no one will look away anymore.

From there, we built the rest of the campaign: straightforward copywriting, no sugarcoating. A sensitive topic deserves clarity, not vagueness. We deliberately rolled it out using the VUB’s house style: this way, the campaign doesn’t feel like something from the outside, but like something from the VUB itself.