Gesicht Zeigen: Mein Kampf Against Racism
Gesicht Zeigen, an anti-racism organization, wanted to combat rising right-wing extremism. The client needed to engage the public and provoke dialogue against racism, turning a symbol of hate into a tool for social awareness. They sought a campaign that would generate funds for anti-racism associations and actively challenge hate, aiming to transform "Mein Kampf" into an anti-racism statement.
Creative Idea
Gesicht Zeigen republished Mein Kampf with new covers, donating sales to anti-racism.
Gesicht Zeigen, an anti-racism organization, transformed Hitler's controversial book "Mein Kampf" into an anti-racism tool by publishing 11,000 books with different covers and donating one euro from each book sale to an anti-racism association. The campaign aimed to fight rising right-wing extremism by turning a historic symbol of hate into a platform for dialogue and social awareness against racism.
Creative Strategy Deconstructed
Company
As a leading anti-racism NGO, Gesicht Zeigen possessed the moral authority and creative audacity to confront Germany's darkest history head-on. They leveraged their network of activists and storytellers to transform a symbol of hate into a platform for human rights.
Category
Social activism typically responds to hate speech with protests or calls for bans, which can inadvertently fuel the 'forbidden fruit' allure. The category rarely attempts to 'hack' the branding of extremism to render it powerless.
Customer
The German public faced a visceral tension between the legal re-release of Hitler's manifesto and a desire to prevent the normalization of neo-Nazism. Citizens sought a proactive way to condemn the past while actively protecting the future.
Culture
The 2016 expiration of the 'Mein Kampf' copyright created a high-stakes media moment against a backdrop of rising European populism. This zeitgeist demanded a bold, provocative response to ensure hate did not regain a foothold in bookstores.
Company
As a leading anti-racism NGO, Gesicht Zeigen possessed the moral authority and creative audacity to confront Germany's darkest history head-on. They leveraged their network of activists and storytellers to transform a symbol of hate into a platform for human rights.
Category
Social activism typically responds to hate speech with protests or calls for bans, which can inadvertently fuel the 'forbidden fruit' allure. The category rarely attempts to 'hack' the branding of extremism to render it powerless.
Strategy:
Reclaim the most toxic symbol of hate to transform public fear into a tangible tool for anti-racism education.
Customer
The German public faced a visceral tension between the legal re-release of Hitler's manifesto and a desire to prevent the normalization of neo-Nazism. Citizens sought a proactive way to condemn the past while actively protecting the future.
Culture
The 2016 expiration of the 'Mein Kampf' copyright created a high-stakes media moment against a backdrop of rising European populism. This zeitgeist demanded a bold, provocative response to ensure hate did not regain a foothold in bookstores.
Strategy:
Reclaim the most toxic symbol of hate to transform public fear into a tangible tool for anti-racism education.
Strategy Technique
Find an Enemy
The campaign directly targeted rising right-wing extremism, using "Mein Kampf" as a potent symbol of this enemy. This rallied public dialogue and action against a clear adversary.
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Creative Technique
Turn Message into Product
The anti-racism message was physically embodied by transforming "Mein Kampf" into new books. This made the abstract message tangible and actionable.
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