The German retail sector had already started a vaccination campaign under the motto “Live instead of lockdown. Let yourself be vaccinated”. Now more than 150 well-known German companies and brands are following that rely on the surprise effect of alienated brand slogans.
The online retailer Otto advertises: “Vaccinations … I think it’s good”. Nespresso asks: “Vaccinate. What else?” And the confectionery manufacturer Katjes celebrates “Vaccinate jes jes jes”.
More than 150 well-known companies and brands started a large-scale social media campaign in Germany this week to call for vaccinations in view of the high corona incidence figures. The Federal Chancellor-designate Olaf Scholz (SPD) praised the initiative, according to the announcement, as an “outstanding symbol of social responsibility and initiative”.
Rank and name
Almost everything that has a reputation in the German economy is included: including BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Edeka, Lidl, Henkel, the Sparkasse and the Volksbanken, but also Burger King and McDonald’s. In order to win people over to vaccination, the companies often use their well-known brand slogans – in a modified, pointed form. Lidl advertises with the slogan: “It pays to vaccinate”, Edeka with “We love vaccinating” and Persil with “vaccinating: you know what you have”.
Marketing expert Martin Fassnacht from the WHU business school in Düsseldorf praised the advertising concept: “The idea is good. It reaches people more than all the medical information about vaccination rates and the effectiveness of the booster,” he told the German press agency. Unfortunately, the state did a bad job when it came to communication in the pandemic. “The fact that so many well-known companies and brands are now taking a stand and promoting vaccination can achieve something. Such slogans are stuck in the brain.”
The reaction was divided on social media. In addition to a lot of praise, there were also boycott announcements from vaccination opponents against the companies involved.
Influence and reach
The unusual, cross-brand campaign was conceived by the Berlin advertising agency Antoni. “Brands have influence and reach. So why not use both to convey the message that our own vaccination is the best way out of the pandemic for all of us,” said Antoni partner Sven Dörrenbächer, describing the idea behind it. The media partner of the campaign is the “Bild” newspaper.
The headline of the campaign is the slogan #Z togetherGegenCorona, also used by the federal government. The companies should use this hashtag to advertise the vaccination on their social media channels with their own slogans. The TV broadcaster Sky used the slogan “Vaccination is great cinema”. Captain Iglo lured: “Come on board for a vaccination” and the chocolate manufacturer Ritter Sport advertised with “Square. Practical. Vaccinated”. The company’s initiative emerged from the ground within a few days, the makers reported.
Before that, German retailers had already started a vaccination campaign under the motto “Live instead of lockdown. Let yourself be vaccinated”. According to the German Retail Association (HDE), more than 250,000 vaccine doses have been inoculated in parking lots in front of shops or in shopping centers. According to the HDE, vaccination campaigns took place in numerous shopping centers in Germany last weekend.
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