At the end of June, dozens of human bodies could be found floating in the Main river in Frankfurt, Germany, face down in the water. The shocking guerrilla stunt was part of a campaign for Tag des Fluechtlings, a day that focuses on preventing the death of refugees.
The human rights campaign tried to sway residents of Frankfurt to help refugees that come into the country; the bodies in the water were meant to mimic the real floating bodies resulting from refugees who drown en route as they flee to find safety in countries like Germany.
The ProAsyl campaign wants to point out that it is unethical to leave these people to drown in the water, and that Germany and other EU countries need to provide fair asylum.
What Makes This Trend Stand Out
- Guerrilla Awareness Campaigns
- Businesses can use guerrilla tactics to raise awareness on social and humanitarian issues, while also promoting their products or services.
- Humanitarian Advertising
- Businesses can create advertising campaigns that promote social issues or humanitarian causes, to connect with customers who value corporate social responsibility.
- Shockvertising
- Businesses can use shocking or controversial advertising to get people talking about their campaign or product, but should be mindful of potential backlash and negative connotations.
Sectors Adopting This
- Marketing and Advertising
- Marketers can explore innovative ways to promote social and humanitarian issues, by creating impactful and memorable campaigns for their clients.
- Humanitarian Organizations
- Humanitarian organizations can use creative campaigns to raise awareness and engage the public in issues related to displacement, asylum, and immigration.
- Government and Politics
- Governments can use creative campaigns to educate the public on issues related to immigration and asylum, and to build support for policies that promote fair treatment of refugees and displaced persons.
