FAKE SELF-HELP BOOKS AGAINST AGE POVERTY

Short List
TitleFAKE SELF-HELP BOOKS AGAINST AGE POVERTY
BrandDEUTSCHER SPARKASSEN - UND GIROVERBAND E.V.
Product/ServiceRETIREMENT PROVISION
Category A06. Consumer Services/Business to Business
Entrant JUNG VON MATT Hamburg, GERMANY
Idea Creation JUNG VON MATT Hamburg, GERMANY
PR JUNG VON MATT Hamburg, GERMANY
Production HESSE STUDIOS Berlin, GERMANY
Additional Company DEUTSCHER SPARKASSEN UND GIROVERBAND Berlin, GERMANY
Credits
Name Company Position
Till Eckel Jung von Matt AG Executive Creative Director
Frances Rohde Jung von Matt AG Creative Director
Johannes Hicks Jung von Matt AG Creative Director
Ole Nagatis Jung von Matt AG Senior Concept Creative
Sarah Dornieden Jung von Matt AG Senior Art Director / Digital
Laura Imkamp Jung von Matt AG Videographer
Sven Rebholz Jung von Matt AG Managing Director
Lukas Popp Jung von Matt AG Junior Copywriter
Benjamin Baum Jung von Matt AG Copywriter
Sarah Dornieden Jung von Matt AG Senior Art Director
Greta Attinger Jung von Matt AG Junior Art Director
Christopher Schneider Jung von Matt AG Art Director
Aline Mathieu Jung von Matt AG Junior Copywriter
Benjamin Mohr Jung von Matt AG Senior Art Director
Julian Schnaars Jung von Matt AG Art Director
Maximilian Lange-Brandenburg Jung von Matt AG Copywriter
Antonia Trippner Jung von Matt AG Graphic Designer
Matthias van de Sand Jung von Matt AG Head of TV
Sergii Eisenstadt Jung von Matt AG Junior Producer
Sascha Lutzius Jung von Matt AG Client Service Director
Yasemin Küçük Jung von Matt AG Project Manager
Silke Lehm Deutscher Sparkassen - und Giroverband e.V. Lead Marketing-Communication
Nadin Hirsch Deutscher Sparkassen - und Giroverband e.V. Campaign Manager
Meike Drefahl Deutscher Sparkassen - und Giroverband e.V. Creative Director
Arabella Bartsch Freelancer Director
Tobias Koppe Freelancer Director Of Photography
Laura Imkamp Jung von Matt AG Videographer
Rocco di Mento Freelancer Editor
Stephen Quell Jung von Matt AG Creative Director

Why is this work relevant for PR?

Everybody is talking about the pay gap. The issue has been widely discussed in public. But there is a related topic almost unknown but even worse: the pension gap. To change that we partnered up with one of Germany’s most famous feminist influencers, as well as some of the most popular feminist blogs. It didn’t take long and other influencers and mainstream media were writing about our campaign.

Background

Germany has a real problem of great social relevance: the pension gap between men and women. In fact, women currently receive only half as much pension as men. Unfortunately, despite this frightening facts, far too few women worry about their retirement. That's why Sparkasse wanted to give them a wake up call and get women talk and think about this issue, while strengthening the role of Sparkasse as THE bank for the people.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Pensions are not an issue that young people and especially women like to think about, let alone talk about. It is too complex. It is not fun. It is not emotional. It is only important for the "future self". Unless you show them the absurd challenges they would have to face, if they didn't start taking their finances into their own hands. Because if they don't face reality today, they would probably have to find a sugar daddy or start dealing their own meds when they're old. Obviously very bad advices. We used extreme but still realistic insights like this and published fake self-help books to get one message clear: Better good advice than bad self help.

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

German pension policy has failed. Currently, three out of four women are threatened by poverty in old age - a big problem of enormous social relevance. The main culprit? The pension gap. But the biggest problem: Most of the women don't even know about the gap and the terrifying situation in general. That's why we wanted to give young women a wake up call, while telling them that they are not alone. How? We showed them what bad opportunities they would have left, if they do not start to think about their pension. Therefore, we created fake self help books so provocative that media had to write about it.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

To reach a young target group (women aged between 24 – 35) and to open a public conversation about the topic itself, the campaign took place on social media (Instagram and Facebook). In order to generate the most momentum, we launched the campaign on the first day of the Frankfurt book fair. Since at this time of the year all of Germany is talking about books. To attract even more attention, we partnered up with Nike van Dinther, one of the most famous feminist influencers of Germany, who addresses gender related topics and has a female politically active audience. Besides that, we worked together with some popular feminist blogs. It didn't take long and other feminist influencers and mainstream media picked up our fake self help book company and were writing about us - without getting paid.

List the results (30% of vote)

Within a single week, the books generated nearly 10 million media impressions and reached over 6 million women. It was widely shared and commented on social media. Women (and men!!!) across all generations not only gave their thumbs up but also really loved the idea. The online community got crazy about the books and asked, where they could actually buy them. They even became creative themselves, making up their own book titles. Besides Nike, other German influencers and activists jumped on board and even shared our message without being hired by us. The campaign was covered in dozens of major publications all over Germany. With the help of an absurd book company Germany was finally talking about the pension gap and we've reached our goal to empower women to face reality and take the matter in their own hands.