«Wir können unfreundlich, aber auf die nette Art.» («We can be unfriendly, but in a nice way.»)
© Agentur DOJO für Partner für Berlin GmbH / Senatskanzlei Berlin
It should sound a little ironic, a little funny, a little proud: With a new image campaign, Berlin is promoting greater cohesion in the city and a better reputation in other German cities.
The extensive campaign consisting of posters, websites and videos starts today, Thursday, as the governing mayor Kai Wegner (CDU) announced.
In flippant remarks, he talks about the problems in the city, which nevertheless attracts many young people with its nightlife: “If we can't get anything together, why is everyone queuing up?” Or with a view to the marathon in September: “Not everything always runs smoothly in Berlin, but the best in the world do”. Fashion also plays a role: “What's running in Paris and Milan today was already running across the Warschauer yesterday”, as does science: “Four of the best universities in Germany, five if you count the street.”
According to the advertising agency Dojo from Kreuzberg, 15 to 20 slogans and 1,500 billboards are planned. The concept also includes slogans in English and other languages. One poster in Turkish reads: “It would actually be a beautiful city... if the winters weren't so long.” Internet channels such as Instagram will also be used to present people, associations and initiatives that are active in the city in short videos.
The Senate is also trying to polish up Berlin's sometimes poor image in other German cities. In Stuttgart, posters read: “Real Swabians are moving”, in Cologne, with reference to the symbol of the FC Köln soccer club: “We have everything, but no bucks”. And in Munich, Berlin is advertising itself with the phrase: “Here, the Bavarians are taking off their lederhosen”. Posters are to follow later in ten other cities. The campaign costs 1.5 million euros. 800,000 euros come from the state of Berlin, 700,000 from Partner für Berlin, the business association. Dominic Czaja from the Dojo agency says that the Senate wanted something with rough edges in its brief. “The campaign also has to sound like Berlin.” It doesn't have to and certainly won't please everyone.
The Governing Mayor Wegner emphasizes that there is actually no need to advertise Berlin abroad. “Berlin has a radiance like hardly any other city internationally.” Domestically and in Berlin itself, however, something could be done “to make it clear how important cohesion is in Berlin”. There is already a critical mood towards the capital in Germany. “It is therefore important to further underpin pride in Berlin, to strengthen the cohesion of the people in Berlin and to strengthen Berlin's image nationwide.”
Even before the start of the actual campaign, the advertising agency caused a sensation on the Internet with a video about the emigration of two young Berliners to Berlinchen in Brandenburg. The two hipsters are tired of Berlin and want to move to the countryside and make the people of Brandenburg happy with some of the capital's achievements - even against their will if necessary. But the famous techno club Berghain, the Tempelhofer Feld and Mustafa's Gemüse Kebab just don't work that easily in the countryside in north-west Berlin. There's no oat milk either and the local club's small airfield can't simply be closed off. In a guest appearance, Kai Wegner says: “They'll be back one day”. The final slogan is: “Berlin is only Berlin in Berlin”.