Creative agency Jane Doe Creation has launched a new integrated campaign for Scape by The Living Company, transforming student inspired moments to redefine student accommodation as something far more human.
Titled ‘You Had To Be There,’ the campaign builds on Scape’s positioning as ‘A place for humans,’ rolling out across YouTube, Twitch, Meta, TikTok, Reddit, and out-of-home, alongside IRL events in Melbourne and Sydney partnering with culture-first agency noisy.
In a generation more digitally connected than ever, yet according to Scapes 2025 Gen Z Wellbeing Index, 38 per cent of Gen Z experience loneliness. ‘You Had To Be There’ turns the spotlight onto student moments of connection – a hello in a corridor, a shared kitchen moment, a late night that turns into morning—and focuses in on the in-between moments where university becomes more than classes.
Rather than creating traditional ads, Jane Doe Creation and Scape collected student inspired stories and turned them into the campaign, making students the voice of the brand. Stories include Togs Tuesday, where one student wearing swim shorts to the laundry became a weekly ritual, and Underarm Butter, where a roommate’s cultural habit turned from confusion into something shared.
Directed by Mick Wong of Beautiful State, the films use a mixed-media approach as a nod to how memories are often experienced: fragmented, subjective, and evolving. Moments are re-enacted, but not replicated, with the aim to capture how stories are felt, not documented.
“We tested this campaign before we backed it fully. And we listened to our residents and our incredible residential experience teams, about the moments that stayed with them. The night they knew they’d made a friend, the first time a corridor felt like home – where they’d felt seen. That’s where ‘You Had To Be There’ came from,” said Rosalind Lill, general manager of brand and marketing at Scape Australia.
“When the numbers backed it – demand up 38 per cent, social engagement up 36 per cent – we knew we had to tell these stories louder. Helping Gen Z students feel like they belong is our number one job. Turns out being honest about that, warts and all, is also good business.”
“It’s that moment when strangers become friends. That’s the idea behind this campaign and Scape’s spaces are designed for the unplanned moments that turn into stories you retell. We all have them. This is just the beginning,” added Penny Buck, executive creative director at Jane Doe Creation.
Extending beyond media, Scape is rolling out ‘The Hello Effect’ across its sites – a simple initiative of student welcome door knocks, shared dinners and monthly birthday gatherings designed to spark everyday connection.
Credits:
Client: Scape Australia
General Manager Brand, Marketing and Communications Scape by the Living Company: Rosalind Lill-Lusby
Senior Brand & Marketing Manager: Heidi Verlaan
Marketing Operations Specialist: Gary Baker
Digital Experience Manager: Jody Nicholas
Creative Agency: Jane Doe Creation
Executive Creative Director: Penny Buck
Executive Creative Producer: Elissa Maine
Director of Strategy: Allison Sims
Senior Project Director: Caroline Maine
Production Company: Beautiful State
Director: Mick Wong
Producer: Kim Kirby
DOP: Ben Cook
Photographer: Ken Butti
Casting: Fountainhead Casting
Editor: Bernard Garry, The Editors
Colourist: Fergus Rotherham, The Editors
Sound Design: Will Thackray, Otis Studios
Media Agencies: Kaimera and Yango
