The federal government has presented a new advertising campaign designed to encourage people to vaccinate.

This is to replace the previous "sleeves up" campaign, the Federal Ministry of Health announced.

The slogan of the new campaign is now "Vaccination helps".

Gustave parts

Business correspondent in Stuttgart.

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Chancellor Olaf Scholz presented two posters in a press conference on Monday: "Vaccination helps. Also everyone you love.” and “Vaccination helps. Also to all those who can no longer hear it.” According to the Ministry of Health, it is important “to address those who are cautious and hesitant to vaccinate empathetically and to motivate them to get the first vaccination. "Vaccination helps" is therefore "target group and benefit oriented".

The new advertising campaign was received with great skepticism on social media.

There was a lot of malice in the comments.

Both the slogan and the look of the posters were questioned.

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) had announced a “more creative” campaign in advance.

Many doubt that this was successful.

The new motifs also met with criticism from advertising experts: "What the federal government declares here as 'creative' is more 'joke' than pun," said Karsten Göbel, owner and head of the Berlin advertising agency Super an der Spree, which also designs political campaigns .

"Does anyone from the new government believe that they can still convince the unvaccinated in such a banal way?" It is about "designed helplessness".

The new campaign was developed by the agencies Scholz & Friends and Cosmonaut & Kings, who also designed the "sleeves up" motifs.

According to the ministry, the campaign was developed "on the basis of empirical data" and "recommendations from scientists".

"Tortured Long Enough"

The new ads are now to be played out on social media, radio, newspaper ads, outdoor advertising and TV.

"Communities with vaccination-cautious people" should also be specifically addressed.

A total of 60 million euros will be available for the campaign until March 2022 to buy advertising space.

According to the ministry, the motifs will be in Arabic, English, Russian and Turkish in addition to German.

The federal government's vaccination communication has long been sharply criticized.

"The old federal government tormented us long enough with #sleeve-up posters with Uschi Glas, Günther Jauch and David Hasselhoff," said agency boss Göbel.

"The previous vaccination campaign has succeeded in increasing the general willingness to vaccinate," writes the Ministry of Health.

In the past, the federal government had to justify itself, for example, for an advertising video that called on young people to laze around due to contact restrictions, or for a campaign with influencers on TikTok and Instagram that resulted in hate comments.

The Federal Ministry of Health has multiplied its advertising budget during the pandemic.

According to the analysis company Ad Vision Digital, the ministry booked advertising spaces worth almost 128 million euros last year.

In the ranking of the largest advertisers, it is just behind the Volkswagen car brand.