the campaign

Sag’s mir ins gesicht („SAY IT TO MY FACE“)

„Sag’s mir ins Gesicht“ is an idea imagined by me while working for digital agency LA RED. The client was the biggest programme on German TV, the main evening news Tagesschau (production company: NDR). It is one of Germany’s most-awarded online campaigns in the last years.

The task was to improve the discussion culture on the internet.

The solution was to invite haters to a Skype call.

THE CHALLENGE

Hate Speech was rampant on Tagesschau’s social media channels, especially on Facebook. On a regular basis, Tagesschau hosts were the targets of vitriolic and violent attacks and threats by mostly anonymous trolls. This toxic culture made conversation on social media next to impossible, and it deterred the younger audiences that Tagesschau wanted to reach.

the strategy

The Tagesschau crew kicked off the campaign by presenting some of the most vile insults they received, which were usually posted by anonymous users with obviously fake names but no profile pictures. The crew challenged „their haters“ directly, asking people who had written comments such as these to join them in a video dialogue.

The call-to-action for this was also the campaign name: „Say it to my face“.

The tool of choice was Skype. A series of events were announced, where everyone could enter into a dialogue with a specific Tagesschau journalist. These dialogues were directly broadcast in Facebook Live videos, in order to avoid criticism that editing somehow falsified the nature of the conversation.

The first event took place on Sunday 28th May 2017, when Tagesschau's Editor-in-Chief Kai Gniffke invited „his haters“ to an open discussion on the topic „Fake News“.

At the subsequent live events, prominent ARD personalities Anja Reschke and Isabel Schayani followed up with their own video discussions. The campaign was supported with individual advertising formats.

the case film (GERMAN LANGUAGE)

THE OUTCOME

„Sag’s mir ins Gesicht“ quickly became a topic of national conversation. The campaign was covered by press outlets including leading media sites Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) and WELT as well as a feature in Russia Today Deutschland.

The courage and dedication of the journalists, who engaged in open discussions with their critics, received an overwhelmingly positive response.

In the awards circuit of 2017-2018, „Sag’s mir ins Gesicht“ was one of the most-awarded campaigns in Germany, winning even the highest honour „Golden Nagel“ at the prestigious ADC Awards.

THE CHARITY EVENT

LIEFERANDO „FOOD QUEEN DELIVERY“

The Food Queen Delivery was an original campaign I spearheaded for the food delivery service Lieferando / Just Eat Takeaway while at the agency PIABO Communications. This campaign leveraged the celebratory spirit of food ordering, featuring drag queen superstars Olivia Jones, Bambi Mercury, Catherrine Leclery, and Tamara Mascara. The excitement was further amplified with authentic props from Katy Perry’s world-famous commercial, combining a vibrant culinary experience for a charitable cause.

THE CHALLENGE

To transform the routine act of ordering food into an exciting, engaging event that resonates deeply with the community, thereby enhancing customer engagement and supporting a charitable cause simultaneously.

THE STRATEGY

The strategy was to leverage the charisma and popularity of well-known drag queens dressed in eye-catching costumes inspired by Katy Perry’s iconic outfits. These influencers traversed major German and Austrian cities—Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne, and Vienna—delivering not just food, but an unforgettable experience directly to people’s doorsteps.

The campaign’s call-to-action, „Hör ich da Lieferando?“ („Did Somebody Say..?“), encouraged the public to participate in a charity raffle, where the original costumes worn by Katy Perry in the Lieferando TV commercial were auctioned, with proceeds going to World Central Kitchen.

The campaign launched with a striking PR event on July 19, 2022, at Olivia’s Show Club on St. Pauli in Hamburg, where the drag queens performed their tailored acts. This event not only set the tone but also maximized social media buzz as the queens were joined by various influencers from the LGBTQI community, who then shared their experiences to their large and highly active audiences, amplifying reach and engagement.

THE CASE FILM

THE OUTCOME

The Food Queen Delivery successfully created a buzz and fostered a positive image for Lieferando. The campaign garnered attention on social media platforms and from local press, increasing brand visibility and engagement. All proceeds from the sale of the raffle tickets were donated to World Central Kitchen, an international aid organization that provides meals for people in crisis areas. This effort not only enhanced customer interactions but also reinforced Lieferando’s commitment to community support and creativity, effectively leveraging entertainment for a good cause.

the social media operationS

BMW

The social media operations for BMW & BMW i created the largest automotive community on earth.

The task was to assist one of the most recognisable premium brands on earth with their social media channels.

The solution was to use the power of storytelling to create a common purpose for the audience: #BMWstories.

the challenge

At Germany’s first social media agency TLGG, the task for „BMW & BMW i Community Management“ was no less than this:

Support BMW with managing a fan community of millions of die-hard automotive enthusiasts, spread across every possible time zone.

Cover both the world-renowned brand „BMW” as well the new, electric sub-brand „BMW i” with its own channels and editorial setups.

Provide the seamless, premium customer support experience that premium brand clients expect.

Create engaging content on the social media channels Facebook, Youtube, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, Foursquare & Co., giving each channel a unique editorial identity.

And regardless whether it’s posting joyful and engaging posts or guiding people to their nearest car dealer – always carefully navigate the complex regional and cultural requirements of the highly diverse target group.

the strategy

The agency-side team consisted of a multitude of specialized community managers working in shifts, using tools to scan for trending topics and creating content in cross-disciplinary teams with campaign creatives.

This powerhouse produced a daily editorial plan for two brands (BMW + BMW i), each with up to 8 channels spanning up to 200 posts a week, as well as content recommendations, guidelines and whitepapers for social media managers in international markets.

From the editorial concept grew „#BMWstories” – initially a hashtag to acquire user-generated content for Instagram reposts. It became the most-used brand-related hashtag on Instagram and served as key theme to connect with the passionate audience: BMW drivers who shared personal and touching stories related to their BMWs.

This also led to a unique approach to Influencer Marketing, focused on nurturing influencers rather than the purchase of established large influencers.

The agency-side team was led by me, in the role of one of the first team leads at TLGG.

the outcome

Despite starting from very far behind, BMW managed to overtake the leader AUDI as the #1 automotive brand on the hotly contested Instagram channel. The hashtag #BMWstories was used as BMW’s key marketing campaign for channels outside of social media, including print, TV and online marketing.

The BMW community grew from 12 million to 18 million fans on Facebook alone, a record for automotive brands. The client presented the successful and unique approach to Social Media and Influencer Marketing at the AllFacebook Marketing Conference.

BMW: Sheer Posting Pleasure.

The Performance

„OPFERTANZ” @ Re:publica 2018

Without carrying any watermelons, I gave a dance course at the world’s leading conference on digital society.

The task was to give a fresh perspective to the way we communicate and burst filter bubbles during this networking event for media experts.

The solution was to dance the „Victim’s Dance“.

the challenge

re:publica is the world’s largest conference specialised on digital society. In its yearly 2018 iteration, r:p ran with the motto „POP: Power of People“, calling for talks on subjects such as data-based curation, the construction of publicity and big data and information literacy. But POP included another dimension: The more literal popping of so-called filter bubbles.

Being an industry and networking event, I had the unique challenge to create an engaging talk, that would bring fresh ideas into the exceptionally digital-savvy audience – but also to entertain.

the strategy

Hailing from a musical family, the stage is my second home. I chose to perform a mock performance rather than a talk. I chose an alter ego: a dancing teacher who teaches his pupils how to „navigate the slippery parquet of political discussions“, mostly by putting themselves into the victim’s position. The performance had the ironic title „Opfertanz“ (translates into „Sacrificial Dance” or „Victim’s Dance“).

I included steps, figures and movements to help my audience find the right stance in today’s communicative environment. With the custom-made drawings by illustrator Roland Brückner (bitteschoen.tv), the dancing „steps” for the political discourse were taught to the surprised audience.

FULL event (GERMAN LANGUAGE)

the outcome

The dance lesson was a highly successful format at re:publica 2018.

Despite being held at the same time as a panel with the year’s star guest Chelsea Manning (US whistleblower) on the main stage, „Opfertanz“ managed to fill the room it was in – it was „over capacity“.

The talk was reviewed on media, including a recap and interview with me on the national media programme Deutschlandfunk Kultur.

clients

A small excerpt of the clients that I had the pleasure to service over the years.