Outward Bound launches new spoken word campaign via Motion Sickness

Outward Bound and Motion Sickness‘ new campaign, ‘Become a weapon’, is striking a chord with Gen Z.

It reframes the word not as violence, instead playing on the Kiwi slang where calling someone ‘a weapon’ means they’re capable and confident.

The campaign platform also builds upon the truth that it’s hard to invest in your future when it has never felt more uncertain.

Within two weeks of launch, the campaign has generated more than six million social impressions and driven a 280% increase in visits to Outward Bound’s course selection site.

Creating a conversation space

Outward Bound, the adventure course where you disconnect from your normal routine to test your limits in the Anakiwa wilderness, has been running since 1962. But to a generation raised online, it had started to feel irrelevant. 

For young people, the ‘work hard and you’ll succeed’ narrative no longer rings true. In a climate of political division, recession, job scarcity and the growing influence of AI, the system feels rigged for young people growing up today. 

The campaign launched with a 19-part film project across TikTok and Instagram that dissects the multifaceted disillusionment of rangatahi (young people) today. The Weapons Catalogue is a conversation space for real Gen Z voices, exploring spoken themes that include self-care, surveillance, the manosphere, activism, anxiety and more – signalling growing dissent and a collective desire to take the power back.

Work that resonant

“Rangatahi today are facing real pressure, but they’re also carrying enormous potential,” says Outward Bound CEO Malindi Maclean.

“This campaign speaks to that tension. At Outward Bound, we see every day what happens when rangatahi are challenged, trusted and given space to grow and we believe there has never been a more important time to invest in that growth.

“Motion Sickness were the perfect partner to help us tell that story. They understood both the urgency of the moment and the depth of our kaupapa, and helped us translate a complex societal need into work that is bold, clear and culturally resonant.”

The series reimagines the ‘Gen Z stare,’ with floating heads speaking openly from the void. All monologues were written by, or in close collaboration with talent, to ensure authenticity was at the fore. The full content series is live via TikTok.

Punch above our weight

“As a charity, we don’t have the luxury of big media budgets, so we have to punch well above our weight,” says head of marketing and digital at Outward Bound Crystal Kaiwai.

“This campaign required real courage and a creative partner who could understand and deliver on a complex problem to solve. It asked us to move beyond the safe and expected, and to back creative that challenges, provokes and positions Outward Bound in a way that truly cuts through. When resources are limited, bravery becomes your multiplier.”

Motion Sickness creative director Melina Fiolitakis adds: “Outward Bound needed to show that its life-changing promise was as relevant as ever. Offering an experience of disconnection from the online world and reconnection to self, the brand was uniquely placed to start a real conversation that other brands would happily gloss over, pretending everything is fine.

“‘Become a weapon’ is an invitation to fight back against the external influences that distract you into feeling powerless. We hope this encourages people to push forward in the face of uncertainty, reclaim their agency and build a life the algorithms can’t predict.”

Credits

• Agency/Production company: Motion Sickness
• Head of strategy: Hilary Ngan Kee
• Strategist: Logan Barnes
• General manager: Alex McManus
• Account director: Matthew Campher
• Executive creative director: Sam Stuchbury
• Creative director: Melina Fiolitakis
• Senior creative: Sylvia Humphries
• Senior art director: Hamish Steptoe
• Junior creatives: Oska Meyer, Michael Ukwu, Ned Pound
• Artworker: Moana Peterson
• Head of Māori culture: Kātene Durie-Doherty
• Senior media planner: Shannon O’Connell
• Digital media planner: Ella Liddell
• Head of production: Joseph McAlpine
• Producers: Morgan Leary, Aime Gellert
• Offline/Online editor: Damian Golfinopoulos
• Account executive: Anna Hobbs
• Director & Photographer: Frances Carter @ Loupe Agency
• Director of photography: Caleb Corlett
• Lighting: MOODY
• Wardrobe & make-up: Katie Melody Rogers
• Offline editor: Archie Porter (Supernormal)
• Colourist: Max Ferguson-Hook
• Music composition & sound design: James & Oli @ Cay Works
• Casting: Emily Laurich
• Client: Outward Bound
• CEO: Malindi MacLean 
• Head of marketing: Crystal Kaiwai
• Head of fundraising: Josh Borthwick
• Featured weapons: Gabriel, Jordie, Oliver, Drishtee, Laura, Michael, Cosima, Alejandro, Coco, Angel, Angela, Jennifer, Lola, Sparssh, Billy, Oska, Taaniko, Milan, Charlotte, Braydon, Ian, Dylan, Teresa, Sophie, Chris, Joe and Ben.

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