STEM gets a tough rep for being cold, calculated and reserved for those who have a ‘knack for it’. But we disagree. STEM is fun, messy and for everyone. You just have to dive in, brains and hearts first.

Working with She Can STEM and the Ad Council, we set out to eliminate the intimidation factor around STEM for middle school aged girls. Launched at a time where girls were craving connection and content, we built a campaign encouraging girls to get messy, experiment, and virtually connect with other girls over their love of STEM.

Embracing the same message, we created a look and feel that championed the messy, energetic, and experimental nature of STEM.

Kicking off with a film created from girls’ UGC submissions, we made girls the hero and celebrated their STEM triumphs and failures.

Knowing that girls were missing out on in-person events and time with friends, we set out to create a STEM-centric event for back-to-school. A live concert in Minecraft with one of their favorite performers, singer-songwriter Ruth B. The ticket to entry? Trying STEM.

We created a challenge world in Minecraft complete with secret tunnels, spaceships and binary code messages. Our colorful and creative Minecraft world was launched with the help of famous female gamers like Strawburry17, Shubble, and FalseSymmetry. Once in the world, girls could explore, chat with other girls, and take on one of our five STEM-based challenges. Girls that came to our STEM challenge world were each given a personal plot to make their own STEM creation. Once finished, girls could submit their plot and receive their ticket. We then took their builds and incorporated hundreds of them into our concert arena and world, again making girls and their STEM skills the hero of our campaign.

Our concert world opened hours before the live show with a scavenger hunt for custom STEM armor and plenty of time for participants to see their STEM creation incorporated into the space. Ruth B.’s custom avatar performed a full set, complete with never before heard tracks, inspiring messages, and fireworks. The event culminated with a Q&A with Ruth B. where girls heard firsthand the importance of following their dreams, STEM or otherwise.