Voorkom dat je brain rot.
An activation campaign for /topics, DPG Media's free app-only news service for students
Challenge
The current generation of students (16-25 years) lives in a world dominated by big tech, where news consumption is almost entirely dictated by algorithms. In this landscape, high-quality journalism – once the compass for critical thinkers – is losing ground to an endless stream of shallow scrolls, memes, and clickbait. DPG Media tasked us with launching /topics, their app-only news service, and positioning it as a relevant alternative for students. The goal was not just to raise awareness, but to drive sign-ups for their free student subscription in a highly saturated digital environment
Community insights
No one is intrinsically motivated to become less informed, yet it happens subconsciously through a “digital diet” of low-value content. Students are increasingly aware of their screen time but feel trapped in an “algorithmic loop” that hijacks their attention. We identified a growing cultural sentiment: the frustration with ‘brainrot’ – the mental decline caused by consuming meaningless digital clutter. To reach them, we couldn’t just tell them to “read more”; we had to make them realize they were being played by the very platforms they use every day.
Campaign idea
Instead of fighting social media from the outside, we broke into the student’s digital habitat by turning the algorithm’s logic against itself. We positioned quality journalism as the ultimate antidote to brain rot. The campaign concept is built on a two-fold message: the confrontation (your attention has been hijacked) and the solution (take back control with /topics).
By claiming the term ‘brainrot’ and through a striking integrated approach across social content, OOH, online video, display ads and creator partnerships, we’re meeting students exactly where they are. With /topics, we didn’t just offer a news app; we provided the tools for students to become the editors of their own lives and make room for what truly matters.
