#CollegeReorientation with Tony Hawk - It's On Us | Clapboard Ad Archive

#CollegeReorientation with Tony Hawk marks a strategic collaboration between It’s On Us, the United States’ largest nonprofit fighting college sexual assault, and independent agency Mekanism to confront the heightened risk of campus sexual violence associated with students returning to in-person learning in Year 2021. Targeted specifically at college communities navigating a post-pandemic back-to-school surge, the campaign seizes this critical cultural moment with a focused call to adopt bystander intervention as a campus safety imperative. At its core, the work centers on leveraging Tony Hawk’s iconic celebrity to break through student apathy, deploying him not for narrative dramatization but as a resonant authority whose presence triggers immediate cultural relevance among young audiences. What Clapboard’s taxonomy would classify as FORMAT#8—Ongoing Characters or Celebrities, this approach risibly anchors the bystander education message in the familiar face of a generational hero, while sidestepping the trappings of issue-heavy PSA with an accessible, non-pedantic invitation to take the #ItsOnUs pledge. The choice of film as a primary medium amplifies urgency and relatability, mixing direct address, tonal authenticity, and a keen understanding of student social dynamics in flux after a year lost to isolation. In comparison to other category players such as RAINN and NSVRC, which emphasize institutional or therapeutic resource delivery, It’s On Us here positions itself as a direct-action movement builder—its strategy sharply focused on peer-enabled prevention through simple, memorable behavior cues rather than grand institutional reform or survival narratives. The campaign further cements its public service purpose by integrating actionable next steps at its conclusion and foregrounding the role of each viewer as an agent of change, rather than passive recipient of information. Mekanism’s creative permeates the market category vernacular while distinctly setting apart the brand as the contemporary authority on sexual assault intervention education for the college set. The campaign earns 61/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. In a category often dominated by institutional tone and survivor-focused discourse, #CollegeReorientation with Tony Hawk demonstrates the potential of leveraging celebrity recognition and behavioral nudge to broaden youth engagement and catalyze campus-level action on sexual violence prevention.