The Basement and Coalition of Colorado Campus Alcohol and Drug Educators Help Students 'Ungrind'
Indianapolis-based agency, The Basement, and the Coalition of Colorado Campus Alcohol and Drug Educators (CADE), managed by NASPA - Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education - are calling on students to prioritise mental health and wellness in a campaign that addresses the negative effects of hustle culture that can lead to drug abuse. The campaign is intended to convince college students to ‘ungrind’ and focus on self care and better habits.
Gen z, particularly college-aged students, is a generation that is very closely and dangerously tied to hustle culture. According to the National Centre for Drug Abuse Statistics, 286,000 adults aged 18-to 25-years-old used drugs in the last month, but the larger problem lies in the misuse or abuse of drugs. College student drug use is often seen in the form of stimulants, such as adderall. Prescription stimulants are often referred to as 'study drugs' some of the main reasons students seek to use them are to be more productive, have more energy and focus, or find relief from other related stressors (per The University of Colorado Boulder).
The campaign is resonating with students, thanks to its focus on positive messages about healthy behaviours and attitudes. The platform stays far away from scare tactics or overly moral messaging from authorities on how students should behave.
For more than 20 years, CADE has supported college and university prevention efforts across the state of Colorado. CADE’s challenge for The Basement was to create a campaign that would inspire college students to rethink how they feel about the use of stimulants, specifically study drugs. The strategy evolved into something more ambitious: challenge hustle culture at large.
Other campaign assets include digital display ads that build with commonly-seen hustle culture messaging, but reveal a hidden, more productive message: to take care of oneself. The Time To Ungrind GIPHY Sticker Pack to help students give hustle culture, well, the middle finger. GIFs like 'Do Less' and 'Good things happen to those who rest' are available on the platform for widespread use. OOH art and posters on campuses lean into the graffiti art form as if students who oppose hustle culture have defaced old-school language around the grind. The campaign directs to a landing page where students can learn more about the dangers of hustle culture - and the abuse of study drugs.
“For decades, the pressures placed on students have led to anxiety, burnout and even depression. But it’s never been greater than this current moment in time as hustle culture has been glorified across the mediums that gen z consume on a daily basis. Every now and then in advertising, you get to do a little good, and we were grateful to combat this dangerous problem and give students the language they need in order to prioritize their mental health,” said Conrad Edwards, CEO, The Basement.
“The Basement team was incredibly resourceful, creative, and responsive in helping us manage multiple competing objectives and short time frames. The team helped us stay calm and on course and delivered dynamic products (and amazing results) towards our larger product outcome,” said David M. Arnold (he/him/his), assistant vice president for health, safety, and well-being initiatives at NASPA.
