The voice of Gen Z
What does “being a woman” mean in society and why does gender inequality still exist? How can we live more sustainably and what is the importance of representation in the media? Rosanne “Rosie” Coetsier looks for answers to these and other questions in Rebels With A Cause, a podcast for Gen Zers who care about the world, created through a collaboration between the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Chase.
The goal of this project was to raise awareness about social issues and to start discussions. At the same time, it serves as a platform that highlights young thinkers and the topics they are passionate about. We believe that young people have something to say and can come up with brilliant ideas. It would be a shame not to give them a voice.
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Turning complex topics into an engaging and accessible video podcast
Each episode focuses on a theme from the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations and showcases Brussels as a creative and vibrant city. After thorough research and planning, we defined eight themes: mental health, affordable and sustainable energy, poverty, sustainable cities, gender equality, reducing inequality between countries, sustainable development, and quality education.
The challenge was to translate these heavy topics into a format with accessible and understandable conversations for young adults that would also be engaging. The goal was to spark discussions, encourage listeners to reflect, and inspire action. That's why we selected enthusiastic young creators and activists such as Mohamed El Hajjouti, Laura From The Desert, and Abdullah Sediqi. Each of them has clear opinions and stories to share—overall, they are ideal representatives of the youth and the perfect people to have meaningful conversations with.
In addition to creating a platform for inspiring young people, we also wanted to make this project educational. That's why we selected several VUB professors and scientists—our sounding boards and fact-checkers. They work daily on the themes discussed, making them the right experts to inform listeners and contribute interesting perspectives. Their insights added value to the conversations and helped shape the structure of the episodes.
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A full 360-degree Gen Z campaign
Music podcasts alone are no longer enough to stand out. Young people from this generation place much more importance on visuals, which is why YouTube is the favorite platform to listen to and watch podcasts. “Rebels With A Cause” couldn't stay behind, so it became a video podcast available on all major podcast platforms and on YouTube. For the visual side of this project, we selected meaningful and aesthetic locations in Brussels, which served as the setting for all the conversations.
When it comes to social media, Gen Z prefers Instagram and TikTok. It was therefore necessary to adapt our promotional campaign to both platforms. The result is an attractive and colorful visual identity that appears in a series of social media posts and vertical video teasers. We also set up a broad advertising campaign on these platforms.
In addition, there was outdoor advertising that increased the visibility of the project: printed posters, digital screens, and campus totems, visible throughout the entire VUB campus.
The result is eight in-depth episodes with amazing guests and a 360-degree campaign with killer content, educational interviews, and a visual identity that truly appeals to Gen Z.
Want to know more about this project? Visit the VUB website gentleman. All episodes can be found on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, country Google Podcasts.
Credits
VUB team:
- Research: Lies Feron, Sarah Janssens
- Marketing & PR team: Cynthia Pieters, Heleen van Schooneveld, Ann Van Driessche
- Scientists: Imke Baetens, Eveline Peeters, Marc Theeboom, Dimo Kavadias, Karen Celis, Hans De Wolf, Latifah Abdou, Inge Plackle
Chase team:
- Pre-production: Hanne Van Vlaenderen
- Research: Hanne Van Vlaenderen, Ioni Villanueva, Charissa Vanthieghem
- Production: Hanne Van Vlaenderen, Hanne Penninck
- Audio recording: Wederik De Backer, Bert Ballegeer
- Video recording: Reda Iben Boura, Alexandre Brehm
- Story editor: Hanne Van Vlaenderen, Rosanne Coetsier
- Audio mix: Wederik De Backer
- Strategy: Jan d'Hont
- Host: Rosanne Coetsier
- Story coach: Pieter Blomme
- Podcast promotion, artwork, social content, copy & visuals: Hanne Penninck, Ioni Villanueva, Michael Chin, Sophie Oome, Emma Pouleyn
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