The ever-reliable JanSport backpack gets existential in a new commercial that comes in the form of a song.
"Always With You," the first campaign from Los Angeles-based agency Party Land, features a JanSport bag singing in a humorously dry and unpolished voice.
"Because I'm just a backpack, a *bleeping* good backpack. Like actually a really good backpack. I’m a JanSport," the song goes.
The spot caters to Gen Z, embracing the mundanity of life and JanSport’s status as a basic backpack that’s always there for you.
A departure from the brand’s traditionally school-centric themes, the campaign uses cheeky and deadpan humor that resonates more with today’s youth.
Natalia Fredericks, Party Land's creative director, emphasized focusing on hilarious and relatable everyday moments experienced by their target audience, such as:
- Being in the school bathroom
- Pushing against someone else on the subway
- Feeling scared on a plane
- Mourning a dead pet
- Breaking up
Aside from the full spot, the campaign will consist of eight social media ads, also in song, that address topics like people-pleasing actions and awkward situations.
Out-of-home ads will also appear in major markets like New York, Los Angeles, Miami, and Denver.
On Making the Campaign Funny
The brand’s shift to a new style of marketing is in line with recent research.
Data from The Marketing Hustle shows that humor makes ads more memorable and brands more trustworthy.
Humor is also effective in advertising to Gen Z, which has a high likelihood of sharing funny ads on social media.
The campaign is a continuation of JanSport's "Always With You" tagline, which aims to stand out from the polished themes of other backpack brands.
Party Land, which won JanSport’s account in 2023, used its young staff members' insights and TikTok expertise to create relevant content.
View this post on Instagram
"When a brand stumbles into iconic status, why shy away from that and try to be anything BUT that?" Natalia Fredericks, the agency’s creative director, said in a statement to ADWEEK.
"We focused on telling highly relatable stories in the everyday moments where our audience lives life."
JanSport also used comedy in past campaigns, including "Disorientation" in 2021 and the mental health-focused "#LightenTheLoad" in 2020.
READ NEXT: Apple Launches Back-to-School Ad Series for Mac
Editing by Katherine 'Makkie' Maclang
