How to grab teenagers' attention in the age of endless scrolling?
Entrant: HASHTAG
Country: Ukraine
Section/Contest/Category: E. SMM / E01. SMM-visual craft.
Award: Shortlist
Advertiser/Brand: UNFPA Ukraine
Year: 2024
Creative Team:
Maria Kochmaruk – Media Director, [Hashtag] Daria Karlshtein – Chief Operating Officer, [Hashtag] Anastasiia Demchenko – Account Manager, [Hashtag] Olga Fedii – Project Manager, [Hashtag] Margarita Izhko – Designer, [Hashtag] Tymoshenko Lina – Сopywriter [Hashtag] Oleksandra Melnyk – Media manager, [Hashtag] Viktor Shkurba – Creative Director, [isdgroup] Oksana Gonchar – Creative Group Head, [isdgroup] Maryna Kizilova – Art director, Illustrator, [isdgroup] Oleksandra Dyvnych – Copywriter, [isdgroup] Nina Dmytriyeva – Copywriter, [isdgroup] Yulia Ivakina – Copywriter, [isdgroup] Svitlana Myronchuk – Account Director, [isdgroup] Yaroslava Sidorchuk – Project Team Lead, [isdgroup] Daryna Vashchuk – Project Manager, [isdgroup] Iryna Lipavska – Graphic Designer, [isdgroup] Michael Traverse – Strategic Director, [Reiseplan] Alina Revenko – Strategist & Psychologist, [isdgroup] Glib Andrushyn – Strategist, [Reiseplan] Dariia Boiko – Strategist, [Reiseplan] Oksana Kurmaz – Illustrator, Animator Stanislav Kolesnikov – Sound Design, [Zvoolab Audio] Liudmyla Shevtsova – Project Associate, Youth, UNFPA Ukraine Maryna Semenenko – Communication and Media Associate, UNFPA Ukraine
Creative idea:
Teenagers usually scroll through their feed pretty quickly, skipping dozens of posts per second. So how can we make them stop and pay attention to something truly important? Visual style becomes the secret ingredient that makes content stand out in a sea of posts. Pubertat is a project that helps teenagers understand themselves, avoid STIs, HIV, toxic relationships, and body shaming. We speak their language and use relatable visuals to ensure that essential messages don’t get lost in the never-ending flow of information. Which characters make the page recognizable? Pubertat is the main character, illustrated in a unique style. He embodies the full spectrum of teenage emotions, shares the same vibe, always supports and helps. Pubertat appears on the page in different forms, moods, and emotional states. In posts about the war, we show Pubertat next to teens in real photos so they know they’re not alone — Pubertat is there, offering support. Throughout 2024, we gave him even more emotions, expressions, and facial cues to diversify the content and let Pubertat reflect teenagers’ feelings in a wider variety of situations. For the same reason, we updated the design of secondary characters too: The girl — appears in topics mostly related to girls’ lives: menstruation, intimate hygiene, female contraception, and more. The Sun — Pubertat’s crush. This character is featured in posts about friendships and romantic relationships. Mom and Doctor — authoritative adults who offer support in tough times and help solve difficult issues. What other visual trends do we use in our design? Bold typography and poster style We use original headlines with wordplay or direct speech, naturally hinting at the post’s topic. We’re not afraid of bright colors and gradients. Authentic photography Photos — without filters or excessive retouching. We show real, raw emotions, without staging or fake vibes. The teens in the photos are just as they are — real and unique! A key focus — on diversity. Animation and motion design Pubertat isn’t just a static character. Thanks to motion design, he comes to life in animations — he moves, changes, and interacts with the world around him. This brings him even closer to teenagers and makes him more expressive. Sketches and font A handwritten sans-serif font is an integral part of the page’s style. Graphic sketches echo the image of Pubertat and add to the visual identity of the content. Does it actually work? Every piece of content aims to inform and support teenagers and their parents. And thanks to a unique visual style, we draw attention to the project, making important topics more accessible. And yes — it works! In the past 12 months: - 12 million views - Over 2 million reach - 45,000 post interactions - 14,000 link clicks - Nearly 4,000 new followers In a world of infinite information, we make what matters visible and accessible — so support for teens is always just a click away.