Just be Better is an animated series that broke down male stereotypes – not by talking like a brand, but by talking like our audience. To do it, we created content that looked and sounded like the stuff Australian teenage boys are watching. The series featured two characters who would say lots of dumb and hilarious things, but when it came to talking about gender roles, they were surprisingly respectful and mature. By using typical Australian male language – as crass as that may sometimes be – we demonstrated how you don’t need to be perfect to break gender stereotypes, you just need to be better.

Australian male teenage boys are difficult to reach and connect with. Their sense of humour is very niche and, for the most part, immature. They also don’t like authority figures telling them what to do. We knew we couldn’t preach to them like a regular public service announcement would – we needed to speak their language. So, we embraced the animation style, offensive language and crass jokes that are part of their culture to not just tap into it, but to become part of it. Only then could we share our message and influence behaviour change.

Two teenage boys are sitting on a wall outside a suburban home.

Boy 1: Cop a load of Jenny mate.

Boy 2: Oof.

Boy 1: I know, right. She has such a great... way of seeing the world.

Boy 2: Yeah. And such a nice fuckin’…pair of glasses.

Boy 1: Fuckin’ oath. Look at the way she… strives to overcome the barriers society has placed upon her.

Boy 2: Yeah. I should really like to get to know her.

Boy 1: You fuckin’ should.

Boy 2: I will.

Boy 1: She’s really nice. And you’d probably have a lot to learn from one another with your unique experiences of the world as a young person in the 21st century.

Boy 2: No shit mate.

Boy 1: No shit.

An older man yells at the boys from offscreen.

Man: Hey, watch your language boys!

Boy 2: Get fucked you prick, go on, keep walking.

Boy 1: Whatever, dickhead.

Boy1: Yeah, he looks like a scrotum.

The boys laugh.

Boy1: We got him.

VO: It’s hard to break gender stereotypes.

But you don’t have to be perfect. Just be better.

Find out how at chalkcircle.org