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Ad Council x She Can STEM

Breaking down STEM barriers

Together with the Ad Council’s She Can STEM campaign, we launched Dare to STEM (DTS). DTS invites girls to see how STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, and math) can be fun, messy, and rewarding. They just have to dive in, brains and hearts first.

Ad Council - Dare to STEM Case Study

AMBITION

When it comes to STEM, girls can see it as a male-dominated territory with little room for error. As a result, girls give up on STEM and don’t fulfill their amazing potential. Our goal was to encourage girls to pursue STEM fields in the hopes of closing the gender gap by breaking down stereotypes that heighten the pressure to be perfect and contribute to a lack of confidence.

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ACTION

To encourage girls to pursue STEM interests, we peeled back the intimidating exterior and asked girls everywhere to roll up their sleeves and get messy with STEM. From a UGC-centric film that championed girls to a website hacking challenge, girls were encouraged to put their STEM skills centerstage. And speaking of centerstage, we created an immersive and inclusive live concert experience with award-winning musician Ruth B. The ticket to entry? Using STEM to build the very world Ruth B. would perform in.

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Achievement

We created a groundbreaking experience for girls where their STEM skills were put centerstage. By fostering a positive, encouraging, and engaging community of girls in our Minecraft world, the entire experience became a model for inclusivity in gaming. There were comments from mothers about the incredible opportunity we created, and a concert chat that was supportive and heartwarming. We also created two unique worlds in Minecraft that can be leveraged for future She Can STEM events. The Dare To STEM event created deep and enthusiastic engagement with 100 percent player retention and a total of 659 hours spent in the DTS challenge world (average playtime of 3 hours 30 minutes).

Minecraft STEM world

Awards

  • National ADDY Digital Tech: Innovative Use of Interactive / Technology (Gold)
  • National ADDY: Pro Bono Online (Gold)
  • One Show Interactive & Online: Immersive Digital Spaces (Shortlist)
  • One Show Design: Craft – Art Direction (Shortlist)
  • Webby’s Virtual & Remote: Best Audience Integration (Winner and People’s Voice Winner)
  • Webby’s Virtual & Remote: Music (Nominee)
  • AICP Digital Experiences (Shortlist)
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“Through this innovative virtual concert and our ongoing dedication to sharing STEM stories from women and girls nationwide, this evolution of our She Can STEM campaign celebrates the spirit of experimentation and inspires girls to dare to STEM.”

Michelle Hillman, Chief Campaign Development Officer at the Ad Council

dare to invent
100%

player retention (all players logged back in at least once)

19

countries logged in from

3.5

hours of average playtime

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