Queer creatives unite to make a youth campaign for world’s first LGBTQIA+ social media app: Jong&Out

A group of LGBTQIA+ talents from the Dutch creative agency landscape have come together to collaborate on a creative campaign for the relaunch of Jong&Out, the world's first social media platform for queer youth in the Netherlands. The campaign aims to celebrate various aspects of queer joy and focuses on creating a space where young LGBTQIA+ individuals can define themselves, reflecting the team's shared desire for such a resource during their own teenage years.

Developed by COC, a long-standing LGBTQIA+ non-profit organization, Jong&Out is a platform designed to address the unique mental health challenges faced by queer youth. It serves as a vital safe space for young queer individuals, which holds particular significance in the context of prevalent hate crimes against the LGBTQIA+ community. Given that LGBTQIA+ youth are twice as likely to encounter mental health problems and 4.5 times more likely to experience suicide compared to their heterosexual and cisgender counterparts, Jong&Out was inspired by statistical evidence suggesting that connecting young queer individuals with similar-minded peers is an effective strategy to combat these issues.

Since its initial launch in 2020, the platform has garnered a membership exceeding 4,000 individuals, utilizing the power of social media to create a positive impact and offer an essential mental health resource for a vulnerable demographic. On the occasion of its three-year anniversary, the relaunch campaign aims to inspire more LGBTQIA+ young individuals to engage with the community, fostering both online connections and in-person meet-ups. The campaign showcases a fresh, enjoyable, and aspirational approach, ensuring accessibility to its intended audience of queer youth aged 12-18. It encompasses a new visual identity for the app, a 30-second mixed-media campaign film directed by Gianna Mazzeo, and a social media activation featuring prominent youth influencers in the Netherlands.

Led by strategist Steph Morrow, founder of STUDIO WORROM and former head of strategy at VIRTUE (VICE Media), the pro bono team behind the campaign is made up of some of the leading queer marketers in the Netherlands. Pairing high level industry experience with personal experience made them the perfect team to deliver this campaign and show how Jong&Out can empower and support the LGBTQIA+ youth of today - with every team member united by the wish that there had been this kind of community platform during their teenage years.

Steph Morrow, founder of STUDIO WORROM says: “There is a very real thing where queer representation in agencies is still so sparse that you often find yourself as the token queer person on Pride projects, and for us with this project, it was immediately clear it would only resonate if we were able to really demonstrate our understanding of queer cultural references across the queer spectrum, with a team that reflected different facets of the queer experience.” 

As a result, the campaign puts young queer people and their lived experiences front and centre - letting them articulate their own thoughts, rather than putting scripted words into their mouths, and positioning Jong&Out as an online space which queer youth have the freedom to define for themselves. 

“By far the most rewarding aspect of the project is knowing how helpful this resource will be. It is the ultimate embodiment of using your skills and knowledge for good. Every one queer kid we get to join this app is a kid we’ve connected into a mental health lifeline. Next to that, getting to work alongside other queer creatives has been a joy and a privilege. It’s no exaggeration to say we’ve become best friends in the process. I think you can feel how much fun we have had in the work, too. It’s just been an absolute joy and the work reflects that: pure queer joy.” adds Morrow.   

CREDITS JONG&OUT

CLIENT: COC NEDERLAND

Project Manager: Zinzy Nimako

Senior Producer: Malou Voskuilen

AGENCY: STUDIO WORROM

Chief Strategy Officer: Steph Morrow

Business Director: Gemma Trounce - ex account director at VIRTUE/VICE

Account Director: Fiona Salem

Executive Creative Director: Fran Marchesi

Creative Director: James Holdsworth

Art Director: Astrid Niari

Production Lead: Mathilde Grenod

Copywriter: Sharon Goldstoff

Creative Consultant: Danicha Leliveld - Creative Director, Converse Western Europe

Jr. Strategist: Sophie Kitchen

Media Consultant: Hannah Mirza - Ex Media Program Lead, Diageo

Production team

Director: Gianna Mazzeo

DoP: Thomas van Krugten

1st AD: Joris Kooster

Producer: Mathilde Grenod

1st AC / Focus Puller: Tein Brouwer

2nd AC / Data handler: Moreno Manuputy

Gaffer: Jeroen de Jong

Best Boy: Rudger Faber

Assistant: Angelo Hogewoning

Sound Recordist: Koos van der Vaart

Art-Direction: Iris Schutgevaar

Set Dressing: Ellen Mol

Hair & Make-up: Chiara Sriram, Romy Legger

Styling: Carolijn Hooij

Photographer : Ruby Cruden

Production assistant: Frederic Loudon

Offline Edit: Amber Hooijmans

Illustrations & Animations: Orbit Studios

Motion Design: Laura Calvo, Lieke Milder

Online Editor: Demi Wesselo, Jordi Beukers

Sound Design: Ben Sims

Music: cookii - "love yourself (spend forever)"

Grading: Ruben Labree, Vanessa Aparicio

Post Producer: Patrick Armstrong

Chief Strategy Officer: Steph Morrow

Media Agency: OMD

Communications Manager: Remko Dekker

Broadcast Director: Suzanne Weijerman

People Champion: Harold de Ruiter

Strategy Consultant: Anne Witteveen

Team Lead Social: Elske Hartwig

Senior Search Specialist: Matthijs Ottenhof

Digital Executive: Rachèlle Scheen

Social & Branded Content Specialist: Eva Kril

Social Specialist: Sabine Roorda

Programme Specialist: Jeltje Heuperman

PR Team

Jessica Hartley

Bernadette Eckebus

Lead Influencer Agency Lead: 2nd Loop

Business Lead: Emma Hijnekamp

Influencers/Creators: Marthe Woertman, Arunya Gillot, Isabel van Gelder, Ingrid Elida, Yuani Blindeburg, Tevin Themen, Thorn de Vries, Dylan Hasselbaink

Pro bono influencer agency support: WeAreEra

SPECIAL THANKS

Cast:

Yao Dekkers

Alex Torment

Robin-Mex

Floor Spaan

Emiel Vasquez van der Wielen

Xio de Jonge

Pim Lemmen

Sidikie Sesay

Fenuel

Riley Moes

Nia Williams

Dion Aya

Glassworks:

Catering: Food Dept.

Camera Rentals: Maloney Amsterdam, Alex Bhugwansing

Vigics:

Sony Music:

Special Thanks to: Aimee Capstick, Martin Magner, Pascal Rotteveel, Sheona Turnbull, Jasper Vierboom, Sasha Bertolini, Isaac Chukwumah, Mark Lester, Snap Inc., Meta, Clear Channel, CS Digital, JCDecaux, Global, Twitch, Talpa, GumGum, Seedtag, Highsnobiety, Brand Advance, Azerion, Spotify, Hearst, Google, RTL Nieuws, Mediahuis