Every year JBC launches a back-to-school campaign. As a brand that’s ‘mee met elke familie’ or ‘for every family’, we must engage with what matters most to families. How can we drive traffic to our new collection while building our caring family image? By colouring outside the lines and making more than just a campaign.

Back to school means being a step closer to your dream job. But unfortunately, 90% of children at the age of 13 choose a job based on their gender, influenced by society’s stereotypes. As a Belgian family business, JBC finds it important that everyone has the right to be whoever they want to be. That’s why we decided to act and create a gender equal colouring book that shows you can become whatever you want! We reached families by a topic close to their hearts, breaking stereotypes and showing that professions are not gender specific.

JBC decided to colour outside the lines for this year’s back-to-school campaign. Back to school, also means one step closer to your dream job. And as a brand that truly understands families, we wanted to do more than just drive traffic to our stores. We decided to act and create a gender equal colouring book that shows you can become whatever you want!

‘The dream outside the lines book’ is a colouring book that breaks stereotypes and makes tomorrow’s generation dream … without restrictions or as we like to say: ‘outside the lines’. Together with illustrator Manon Hermans, we designed colouring pages with a mix of unexpected career choices such as a female firefighter or Formula 1 pilot, a ballerino or male nanny and so on. We turned the stereotypical colouring pages you’re used to, into empowering ones.

These colouring books were handed out in-store to back-to-school shoppers.

JBC finds it important that every individual has the right to be whoever they want to be. But unfortunately, 90% of children aged 13 choose a job based on their gender, influenced by society’s stereotypes (Free University Brussels). Children’s perceptions are shaped by what they see and experience around them. And what is one thing every child has? A colouring book. But today’s colouring books portray women & men in very stereotypical ways, also profession wise. We saw an opportunity in the colouring book as a medium to change perception about gender equality and diversity.

That’s why JBC decided to colour outside the lines for this year’s back-to-school campaign and create a gender-equal colouring book. We built our family image and attracted visitors to the store by engaging with a topic close to their hearts, showing children that professions are not gender-specific and you can become whatever you want.

The back-to-school campaign was announced on social media, on the website, in the folder and in-store. When you bought a clothing piece from the back-to-school collection, you received a free colouring book. This way 175.000 books were distributed among JBC clients.

Our social video and visuals show the colouring book and the impact they have on the dreams of different children, wearing the back-to-school collection. They tell about their dream job and proudly share the new illustrations.

Apart from our new colouring book and a gender-equal clothing collection, JBC also decided to remove the gender labels from their stores. In this way they consistently build up their gender neutral and diverse image, not only by taking action but also by the smart campaigning around it.