Party Land Puts JanSport in the Spotlight with Gen Z for Back-to-School

Building on the momentum of its recent U.S. Back-to-School campaign, JanSport has launched a new global initiative to re-introduce America’s #1 backpack brand to a gen Z audience worldwide. Created in collaboration with ad agency Party Land, the “Always With You” global campaign highlights JanSport’s status as an everyday fashion staple to a global audience eager to embrace American youth culture. 

The campaign, RUNNING INTO 2designed for social platforms, features four films that celebrate JanSport’s rich American heritage by highlighting the small, everyday journeys that its backpacks accompany daily. Each vignette captures the essence of classic Americana, with universally relatable experiences that resonate across cultures. Whether it’s friends snacking on a road trip or teens facing the frustration of locking keys in the car, the JanSport backpack is a constant presence. Like the U.S. campaign, Party Land taps into gen Z’s love of unserious humour, focusing on the comedy found in life’s mundane moments.

“As an iconic American brand, we wanted to leverage our rich heritage as we look to grow and connect with people in other markets,” said Alexandra Reveles, VP of global brand, JanSport. “In our 57 years, JanSport has always been there. Our bags have seen a lot of things. The subtle humour of this campaign manages to highlight small, poignant moments revolving around our bags and extend them to the lives of gen Z globally through incredibly relatable moments.”

Party Land’s strategic use of humour taps into a potent consumer preference for relatable and funny content: 78% of gen Z are more likely to share ads that they find humorous and relatable on social media, while 61% believe brands using humour in their advertising are more trustworthy (according to Marketing Hustle)​. Jansport’s early BTS results are proving humour to be an effective strategy with the target audience showing a 71% increase in purchase intent, a 385% YOY increase in engagement (shares, likes, etc.) and a 2x TikTok CTR: 2x above benchmark and 2.7x LY.

Additionally, 90% of people are more likely to remember ads that are funny and 72% say they would choose a humorous brand (according to Oracle). This creative direction reinforces JanSport’s commitment to being an integral part of gen Z’s daily lives. 

“This campaign underscores JanSport’s ubiquity on a global scale,” said Natalia Fredericks, creative director, Party Land. “As the bag you take with you everywhere, your JanSport backpack can say a lot about who you are. While gen Z around the world may express themselves and their humour differently, their connection to their bags - and how they use them - creates a common thread. We leaned into the humour of mundane moments and continued our strategy focused on being an American icon that acts like anything but, translating it for a much larger audience through the simplicity and everydayness of how they use a JanSport, revealing something unique and funny about the wearer.”

The “Always With You” global campaign is rolling out with a strong emphasis on social and digital platforms, including TikTok and YouTube, across Latin America (Argentina, Chile), APAC (New Zealand, Philippines, South Korea), EMEA (United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany), and the United States. The media plan also includes outdoor placements.  

Party Land was selected as JanSport’s new agency partner in 2023 following a competitive pitch.