Creating a dorm makeover reality show built for a YouTube generation.

Target was losing relevance with college students during Back to College.

First-time homeowners had HGTV. First apartments had Apartment Therapy. But students moving into their very first space had no trusted resource—no real inspiration, no guide to making a dorm feel like their own.

So we created Best Year Ever—a content platform disguised as a dorm makeover series, built specifically for them.

Produced with Bunim/Murray (The Real World), the series followed real students transforming their spaces with real budgets, real constraints, and real advice—turning dorm rooms into expressions of identity.

Designed for a generation living on YouTube, the show partnered with creators and lived natively where students were already watching—blending entertainment with utility in a format they actually engage with.

The result: Target’s most successful Back to College campaign—turning dorm rooms into self-expression and move-in day into a cultural moment.

Director: Bunim/Murray