Case Film

Presentation Image

Title	NAZIS AGAINST NAZIS- GERMANY´S MOST INVOLUNTARY CHARITY WALK
Brand	ZDK GESELLSCHAFT DEMOKRATISCHE KULTUR
Product/Service	EXIT-DEUTSCHLAND
Category	C08. Charities, Public Health, Safety & Awareness Messages
Entrant Company	GRABARZ & PARTNER Hamburg, GERMANY
Advertising Agency	GRABARZ & PARTNER Hamburg, GERMANY
Advertising Agency 2	GGH LOWE Hamburg, GERMANY
Production Company	27 KILOMETER ENTERTAINMENT Hamburg, GERMANY
Production Company 2	HARVEST DIGITAL AGRICULTURE Hamburg, GERMANY
Production Company 3	STUDIO FUNK Hamburg, GERMANY

Name	Company	Position
Fabian Wichmann	Zdk Gesellschaft Demokratische Kultur Ggmbh	Client Account Director
Ralf Heuel	Grabarz Und Partner	Chief Creative Officer
Florian Grimm	Ggh Lowe	Chief Creative Officer
Jan Wiendieck/Boris Grunwald	Ggh Lowe	Creative Director
Philipp Schwartz	Ggh Lowe	Concept/Strategy
Ina Bach	Grabarz Und Partner	Concept
Philipp Schwartz/Fabian Wichmann		Idea
Ina Bach	Grabarz Und Partner	Account Manager
Miriam Mückner	Ggh Lowe	Online Project
Matthaeus Bauer/Michael Martin	Ggh Lowe	Copywriter
Alina Meisenbach	Grabarz Und Partner	Copywriter
Fiete Luehn/Anne-grit Maier	Ggh Lowe	Art Director
Yasemin Boyraz	Grabarz Und Partner	Art Director
Robert Stoof	Ggh Lowe	Art Direction (online)/Screen Design
Jens Gardeler	Ggh Lowe	Web Development
Ulrich Erdmann	Grabarz Und Partner	Digital Director
Michael Sturm	Ggh Lowe	Motion Design
Steffen Zoernig	Ggh Lowe	Technical Director
Martin Kaeswurm	27 Kilometer Entertainment Gmbh	Director Of Photography
Mark Broszeit	27 Kilometer Entertainment Gmbh	Editor

Brief Explanation

For 15 years, the initiative EXIT-Deutschland has been successfully helping neo-Nazis quit the far-right scene. Yet, it lacks sufficient funding and has to fight for its own existence every year. The German town of Wunsiedel also has to fight: against right-wing extremists who are exploiting their right to demonstrate and overrunning them. But on 15 November 2014, we surprised them and turned their annual march in Wunsiedel secretly into something positive: a charity walk for EXIT-Deutschland. Motivated by banners and bananas, the neo-Nazis went the full distance and raised €10,000 to help their own members leave the scene.

Results and Effectiveness

With a budget of just €5,000 (spent mainly on banners and bananas), we not only let the neo-Nazis raise €10,000 for their own demise, but reached more than 24 million people in Germany through national TV and print coverage alone. We also got more than 279 million impressions through social media. But even more importantly: 6,900 people clicked on the EXIT button on our website, and a huge number of voluntary donors quickly doubled the original sum of €10,000. So in the end, all sides got what they deserved: Wunsiedel and EXIT-Deutschland got positive PR, society a new form of protest and the neo-Nazis the chance to leave the far-right scene.

Creative Execution

As the neo-Nazis set off, so did a meticulously planned campaign. Via the microsite, Twitter, Facebook and carefully chosen social media influencers we started the live coverage. Even during the march, 21,000 people visited the microsite and helped us spread the word. But that was just the start. Because three hours after the neo-Nazis crossed the finishing line, another element of the campaign went online: a documentary. Thanks to its immediate release, the video became the campaign’s central communications tool, shown worldwide in its original version by many TV stations, in some cases even in full length.

Insights, Strategy and the Idea

The campaign had three basic goals: to generate awareness for EXIT-Deutschland, to help Wunsidel in its fight against neo-Nazis and to support neo-Nazis who want to leave the far-right scene. Therefore, we aimed at different target groups. First, we addressed the general public and potential donors to inform them about the work of EXIT-Deutschland. Second, we involved social media influencers and the media to help us spread the word about the charity walk in Wunsiedel. And third, we spoke with the neo-Nazis. For the first time, EXIT-Deutschland could address thousands of neo-Nazis at once and directly offer them help.