Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung - The 100th Edition
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung tasked Scholz & Friends to create the 100th "Brilliant Minds" motif. The client wanted to powerfully reinforce their commitment to historical awareness and vigilance against intolerance, especially on Holocaust Remembrance Day. They needed an iconic image featuring a prominent figure to inspire readers and underscore the newspaper's dedication to critical causes and intellectual rigor, strengthening its brand as a champion of informed discourse and a just future.
Creative Idea
F.A.Z. featured Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer reading their paper at a memorial, reinforcing the need for historical vigilance.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung created a powerful campaign image featuring Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe to highlight the importance of historical awareness and commemoration. By showcasing a 102-year-old survivor reading their newspaper at a memorial site, F.A.Z. reinforced its commitment to remembering history and promoting vigilance against intolerance.
The Hundredth Mind and a Duty of Remembrance
A cinematic lens on history
To capture the gravity of the 100th motif, the agency enlisted Academy Award - nominated director Wim Wenders. Known for his contemplative cinematic style, Wenders treated the shoot at Berlin’s Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe as a "duty of remembrance." He utilized the natural interplay of light and shadow among the 2,711 concrete steles to create a visual narrative that transcends traditional advertising. The production required extreme sensitivity due to the location's weight and the age of the subject, Margot Friedländer, who was 102 years old at the time of the shoot.
From celebrity to moral manifesto
For over 25 years, the "Brilliant Minds" series featured a "who’s who" of culture and politics, including Angela Merkel, Karl Lagerfeld, and Bono. By selecting a Holocaust survivor for this milestone, Scholz & Friends shifted the campaign’s DNA from prestige endorsement to a moral manifesto. CCO Matthias Spaetgens noted that the work asks the audience to become the "witnesses" that Friedländer, as part of the last generation of survivors, will eventually be unable to be.
Cultural resonance and rejuvenation
The campaign launched on January 27, 2024, the 79th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. It triggered a massive wave of earned media, appearing on national news programs like Tagesthemen and late - night talk shows. Beyond its somber tone, the campaign achieved a significant "rejuvenation" of the F.A.Z. brand. It sparked widespread engagement among younger demographics on social media, who connected with Friedländer’s message of tolerance - a sentiment further amplified when she appeared on the cover of Vogue Germany shortly after the campaign’s debut.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
F.A.Z. leverages its 25-year "Brilliant Minds" legacy and reputation for intellectual depth to provide a platform for voices of profound historical significance.
Category
News media often focuses on fleeting headlines, treating history as a static archive rather than a living warning against modern intolerance.
Customer
Readers seek moral clarity and a reminder that staying informed is a vital defense against the erosion of democratic values.
Culture
Amidst rising global antisemitism, the cultural zeitgeist demands that institutions actively defend historical truth against the threat of collective amnesia.
Company
F.A.Z. leverages its 25-year "Brilliant Minds" legacy and reputation for intellectual depth to provide a platform for voices of profound historical significance.
Category
News media often focuses on fleeting headlines, treating history as a static archive rather than a living warning against modern intolerance.
Strategy:
Position historical vigilance as an intellectual duty by placing a survivor's living memory against the backdrop of systemic silence.
Customer
Readers seek moral clarity and a reminder that staying informed is a vital defense against the erosion of democratic values.
Culture
Amidst rising global antisemitism, the cultural zeitgeist demands that institutions actively defend historical truth against the threat of collective amnesia.
Strategy:
Position historical vigilance as an intellectual duty by placing a survivor's living memory against the backdrop of systemic silence.
Results
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Strategy Technique
Make the Brand the Hero of a Bigger Fight
F.A.Z. positions itself as a champion against intolerance and for historical awareness. The campaign makes the brand a hero in the ongoing fight for informed discourse and a just future.
Explore Technique
Creative Technique
Glorify somebody
The campaign features Holocaust survivor Margot Friedländer, placing her at a memorial. This glorifies her resilience and wisdom, making her an inspiring symbol for historical awareness.
Explore Technique
Craft Breakdown
This campaign's craft is exceptional due to its profound storytelling and sensitive art direction, effectively leveraging a historical advertising format to deliver a powerful, timely message about humanity and tolerance through the lens of a Holocaust survivor's wisdom.
The narrative brilliantly connects the long-standing 'Brilliant Minds' campaign with a critical contemporary issue, culminating in the profound wisdom of Margot Friedländer, making the 100th edition incredibly impactful and relevant.
The consistent visual motif of obscuring faces with the newspaper is powerfully recontextualized at the Holocaust Memorial, elevating the campaign's visual language to convey deep historical and emotional significance.
The blend of archival black-and-white images with intimate, naturalistic portraiture and sweeping memorial shots creates a rich visual tapestry that supports the narrative's emotional journey.
The voiceover concisely explains the campaign's legacy and the urgent context, while Margot Friedländer's direct and simple German words, translated as powerful subtitles, form the emotional core of the message.
