Posts Tagged ‘Germany’
No Way Back. Why I still am a Convinced European.
November 7th, 2011 • 6 comments Politics
Tags: Amsterdam, Europe, Germany, personal, Politics
I spent my last weekend in England where one of my best friends celebrated his wedding. My friend is German (as I am) and he married his English girlfriend. While spending the weekend with my friends I had an interesting conversation with one of his English friends about Germany’s role in the European bailout process. He told me what other Brits had told me before: They expressed compassion for all the money that specifically Germany has to stake now (the last bail out sum was EUR 211 bn) to save the EU – while the UK’s share as a traditionally Euro-sceptic nation is much lower.
Upon returning to Amsterdam my girlfriend and I got to know five young Italians at Schiphol airport who needed support to find the right train to get to the city center. They were tourists and asked a lot of questions about living in Amsterdam and our reasons for moving here. And at one point one of them asked us: “How do you like Italy?’
It is difficult to answer something reasonable when being asked something like that. But I quickly realized what this young guy from Turin actually wanted to know. He wanted to find out about our German perception of the weak econonomic situation that Italy finds itself in these days. His personal explanation of the current Italo-German relations sounded almost exactly like this: “Italians like to live – they enjoy long lunch breaks but nobody really works. Germans on the other hand are ambitious and they have a good working attitude which is why Germany is the richest country in Europe nowadays. And they wanted to push the EU further so they can help out.”
No doubt, I had to disagree. I have heard similar stereotypes before. But neither is there an economic German success gene nor is there something like inexhaustible money well in Germany. Just 10 years ago Germany was considered as the Sick Man of Europe. To quote an article from 2002:
The German economy’s underperformance is a result of an economic structure built on social consensus rather than market forces. The Weimar republic and the following Nazi era led to Germans attaching a very high premium on domestic stability. (…) The structural rigidity of the German economy has meant that it could not react quickly and nimbly to changing circumstances. (…) Occasionally the FDP (Germany’s liberal party) might mumble something that would be a step in the right direction, but aside from their self-inflicted implosion, they would in any case not be a major force.
A decade later and FDP – aka the only German party that gets it – is on the brink of disintegration. Europe’s market squares have become camp sites for OccupyWallstreet protesters, even Harvard’s Business Review asks ‘Was Marx right?,’ and Germany has miraculously become Europe’s fit man. This is not the result of the aspirational German working attitude. It is the result of something completely else.
That’s why I had to contradict the young Italian guy from the train: What is happening right now has nothing to do with Germans being ambitious and Italians (or Greeks, or Portugese, …) being lazy. It has got something to do with a clear Political agenda of economic reforms that Germany conducted in the mid-2000s. Many Germans had to accept extreme cuts and much lower levels of social grants than before (oh…and it cost our former Chancellor Schroeder his job – but that’s a different story). Just pretending that this is a mix of good luck and the right attitude is simply not true.
The result was a stronger economic climate as you can see in the following diagram which shows the German unemployment rate since the reunification.
In fact: this wealth was paid for by many Germans since the mid 2000s – and luckily it paid off. But we are not talking about money that was heaven-sent.
More German Angst? Thoughts on Facebook, Privacy and Germany.
August 29th, 2011 • 8 comments Allgemein, Politics, Social
Tags: Facebook, Germany, Politics, privacy, Society
Germany.
This is not just the place I come from. At the same time it is one of the richest tech-cultural repositories for blogging about digital media that I can imagine.
After living in the Netherlands for 15 months now I perceive Germany a bit like the Gallic village from Asterix and Obelix – the famous French cartoon series (that unfortunately only Europeans know). One village against the Roman Empire. Or – as in the case of Germany – one state against the rest of the web.
It’s hard to keep track of all my conversations with clients or colleagues in which we talked about a Global solution for a digital project before someone said ‘and we need a separate solution for Germany’. When talking about Digital Marketing my country of origin is something like the annoying cry baby or the nagging girl friend that is a pain for everyone but that nevertheless requires your full attention. Germany’s Tech-Idiosyncracy coupled with a privacy paranoia makes it happen.
So about two weeks ago it started again. ‘Germany vs. Facebook: Like Button Declared Illegal, Sites Threatened With Fine‘ said the headline of this article. And Mashable found out the Facebook Like is already banned in Germany.
That is of course crap. It is bad tabloid-style journalism.
Fact 1: Germany did not ban Facebook likes
Dear Journalists from Mashable and Silicon Filter: Believe it or not, States consist of institutions. Sometimes many institutions. And quite often far too many institutions (this is the German case). But just because one representative in one instution in a rather small district of Germany THINKS Facebook does not act legally does NOT mean this is the case. In fact it may even be illegal. Especially as Mister Teichert’s claims – if legally correct – would actually legally end the use of almost any type of web service in Germany. Key claim: ‘By using the Facebook service traffic and content data are transferred into the USA and a qualified feedback is sent back to the website owner concerning the web page usage, the so called web analytics.’
Yes, that’s ridiculous. But that’s not the key problem.
Fact 2: This is nothing compared to what’s happening in the EU right now
Directive 95/46/EC aka European Union Data Protection Directive – this does not sound like the stuff that the ordinary Digital Marketer really wants to learn more about. But in fact it will change an awful lot. Since May 25th all member states of the European Union are expected to enact this new privacy directive, which requires businesses to get explicit permission to track pretty much any type of online user behavior.
This in fact means Marketers have to ask for permission for pretty much any type of digital insight gathering. Cookies? Ask for permission. google Analytics? Well…let’s see….oh, this is getting really complicated. And if you want to check out what a seamless user experience of the future might soon look like you can download the Privacy compliant WordPress Plugin here. Click the Demo button to see the drama unfold.
Exit Deutschland. Trojan Shirts for Nazis.
August 9th, 2011 • 2 comments Ideas, Politics
Tags: Cool, Creativity, Exit, Experimental, Funny, Germany, Ideas, People, Politics, visual, We like
It is sad enough that it is 2011 and we still need organisations such as Exit Deutschland. Even though Fascists only play an inferior role in Germany’s political system, they are very present in some parts of Eastern Germany. And that’s where organisations such as Exit play a pivotal role in offering alternatives for people who know nothing but their hateful community.
Exit Deutschland is an organisation that tries to help members of the fascist scene to leave their (quite often very violent) peer group. In order to get their message across they just designed a very smart ‘Trojan Shirt’.
For the 9th time Germany’s right wing NPD party was allowed to stage a festival called ‘Rock fuer Deutschland’. Members of Exit Deutschland dressed up as Nazis and passed 250 of their shirts to Festival visitors. The idea: The shirt actually looks like stuff any Fascist likes (‘Hardcore Rebels. Nationalistic and free’ + skull). But once the guys came home after the Festival and washed their shirts the shirt revealed a different message: ‘What your T-shirt can do, so can you – we’ll help you break with right-wing extremism’ + a contact number for Exit Deutschland.
24 hours after the Festival NPD watchdogs sent out SMS warnings to the festival guests. 250 out of 600 guests got a T-Shirt.
Well done Exit. At last one ‘Trojan marketing concept’ with a Political attitude. Learn more on their site and like them on Facebook. (via Happyschnitzel)
15 Years Later. A Conversation with my first Creative Director, Steffen Herbold.
Juli 24th, 2011 • Allgemein, Social, Social Business, Strategy
Tags: Agencies, Experimental, Germany, Interview, People, Social, Social Influence Marketing, Social Media, steffen herbold, Strategy, Trends, WOB
A couple of weeks ago I talked about first jobs with a friend.
WOB was/is the name of my first employer/agency. And before anyone asks: Yes, Werbung und Organisationsberatung sounds awfully German. But I still think this dedicated B2B agency from the south of Germany is one of the most professional agency brands I ever worked for. B2B is tough. B2B is rarely considered as cool. And even though marketing Supply Chain Management Software or Nanotech solutions is definitely not for everyone, I am still happy I took my first steps in the agency world as part of the team from Viernheim (yes, Viernheim). It was one of the best ‘schools’ for a young marketing guy like me.
Back in the days when I realized I am better in copywriting than in Project Management there was one guy who thought I might be right. Steffen Herbold is Creative Director at WOB (pretty much since God created the Earth). He is a great copywriter, a very, very smart man, and he is one of the people I definitely do not meet as often as I should.
I kind of rediscovered Steffen (sorry Steffen) two years ago. After not being in contact for a while, we connected on Facebook and hold a steady dialogue since then. I was really interested to find out about how a dedicated B2B agency like WOB perceives the challenges by the Digital revolution in general and the social web in particular. And Steffen was so nice to answer a couple of questions. I am sure if you leave a comment he will gladly answer your questions as well.
Hi Steffen. Which role does Social Media play for a B2B agency like WOB nowadays?
A big one.
How different are B2B and B2C in this regard?
Well, obviously buying a chocolate bar and a ERP software have absolutely nothing in common. Apart from one thing: There are emotions involved. But whereas the purchasing processes of FMCG’s are individual and impulsive by nature, the buying process in a btob context is collective and reflected – so it is no wonder that these differences become manifest in social media too. I would put it this way: In b2c social media are capable of creating something like a “virtual nearness” between a brand and its target group, in b2b they’re an adequate tool to truly deepen existing relationships. You might as well say: b2c is brilliant flirting, b2b is serious marriage.
Read more »
German Angst. Der Spiegel explains the Web.
Juli 3rd, 2011 • 24 comments Allgemein, Media
Tags: Der Spiegel, Germany, Politics, Print, Truth, visual, World
So if you want to get a sense of how media in Germany explains their readers the web go and check out tomorrow’s cover of ‘Der Spiegel’. This time it’s about the ‘Digital Underworld. The secret web of Internet Criminals.’
This is how ‘Der Spiegel’ explained Facebook a couple of months ago: ‘The insatiables’. Of course well promoted on Der Spiegel’s Facebook Page.
In 2009 Der Spiegel introduced its readers to the lawless failed state that the Internet actually is in ‘Web without Law’.
Cognitive Cities. Now they go local.
Mai 17th, 2011 • 2 comments Allgemein
Tags: Amsterdam, Berlin, cities, city, CoCities, conference, Conferences, Cool, experiment, Germany, Lifestyle, People, Underway, World
Three months ago my friends from Third Wave and Your Neighbours in Berlin staged CoCities – a conference focused on the future of the city and how technology can transform the way people interact. I actually bought a ticket but eventually did not make it (don’t ask why). I know the guys were extremely nervous about the outcome of this experiment. Putting urban planners, designers, technology geeks, environmental experts, public officials, and others into one room in quite a new conference format isn’t exactly what you do every day. And I know the guys did not just want to stage just another conference.
Great that the conference was considered as very enlightening novely particularly in Germany. And even better – CoCities goes local and might soon be in a city near you. The so-called Cognitive Cities Salon comes to Amsterdam on June 30 to De Verdieping (Wibautstraat 127, Amsterdam).
The general idea behind the salons is simple: create an local event, from locals, for locals – curated by CoCities. Those will be small events, not larger than 100 people. A major part of those events is to find the appropriate partners. Luckily, in Amsterdam we are very well served.
With VURB, Visible Cities and Volume Magazine, we have a great lineup of partners to create an exciting event for Amsterdam. There will be an entry fee, but we will try to keep that as low as possible.
So. I am definitely going to join this time (it’s in my hometown so I cannot mix up the flights). And if you happen to be in Amsterdam, join in.
Do also check out the conference recap…
Dirt Devil. The Exorcist Revisited.
Mai 4th, 2011 • Ads, Brands
Tags: Brands, Creativity, Dirt Devil, Funny, Germany, Ideas, TV, visual, We like
One of Germany’s best film and media schools is located close to Stuttgart in Ludwigsburg – Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg. The school regularly makes students work on actual projects for actual brands and the following Exorcist spoof commercial for Dirt Devil is just one of them.
I found it pretty funny and a very good, simple TV idea. Well done.
(thx to The Laughing Squid)
Cultural Crisis. Germany’s Digital Elites fail to Innovate.
April 18th, 2011 • 2 comments Underway
Tags: Germany, republica, RP11, Underway, World
After a couple of days in Germany I finally returned to Amsterdam. Apart from a day off with my family the key purpose of this trip was to attend the annual Re:publica conference in Berlin. I go there pretty much every year in April as it was one of the best major grassroot events about social media and digital culture in general. And beyond its professional scope every year anew it was a great networking event. A place where you had the chance to actually talk to your friends and followers on twitter and get to know the humans behind the twitter streams.
This year’s Re:publica at least delivered on the latter experience. I had the pleasure to get to know a couple of people personally that I interacted with for some time now virtually. Unfortunately Re:publica XI revealed the misery of Germany’s “digital elite” – it considers itself to be a digital elite but it struggles with reinventing itself and get out of its ‘Grandad talks a bit about the war’ corner. Key drivers of Re:publica XI were the usual suspects from Berlin. Spreeblick, Lobo, and Netzpolitik among many others – a group of people that German media likes to call ‘Alpha bloggers’. And here we get to the first problem. Because Re:publica’s claim to be the forum for a new digital society is in Germany defined by a small group of people from the capital. Nothing new here. And apparently not much interest to open that up.
After attending a couple of sessions I felt reminded of the early years of Germany’s Green Party. At that time many Germans perceived the Green party as trapped in its own conservativism regarding an actually new and very enlightening topic in Germany’s political system – Ecology. Anyway the Green party was able to reinvent itself over the years and is currently extremely close to designate the next German chancellor. Unfortunately Germany’s digital elite hasn’t made it even close to this point. They don’t want to be part of an evolution. They prefer to stay among themselves and tell the same old stories over and over again.
Re:publica XI. Hope to see you in Berlin.
April 10th, 2011 • 1 comment Underway
Tags: Berlin, conference, Germany, republica, RP11
It’s the time of the year that many of us travel to Berlin to attend Re:publica – probably Germany’s best conference around digital lifestyle, culture and perspectives. It’s my fifth time there and re:publica is still getting better and better. It took a while. But I am happy that the conference has grown up and even though it’s extremely nerdy – it lost ‘the blogger convention’ sticker somewhere along the way. But who knows? Maybe even Germany’s perception of what digital is has grown up. Even though I doubt it…
After last years disputuous Re:publica 10 I hope this year’s tracks will get as argumentative and amusing as in 2010 (in case you did not attend plese take the time to watch Professor Dr Kruse’s fantastic presentation ‘What’s next?’ (in German)). No doubt, Republica was never just a conference-conference. It’s strength was always that it felt a bit like a family reunion of Germany’s digital scene. Most speakers are in constant contact anyway via twitter. And the annual meet & greet at the re:publica conference seems to add the real life layer to what’s happening online 24/7 anyway.
I will be in Berlin from Wednesday morning. And I am really looking forward to meet some of you and spend a couple of great, exciting and insightful days with the people that I usually only know through not more than 140 characters. I hope to be able to change that next week. So please leave a comment underneath this article if we are in contact (twitter or wherever) and if you are interested in a chat. Or just send me a tweet.
See you next week.
Fake of the Day. The GranataPet Snack Check Billboard.
März 30th, 2011 • 5 comments Ads, Experimental, Fake
Tags: Ads, Advertising, Fake, Foursquare, Germany, Ideas, Out of Home, Social Influence Marketing, Tech, World
Time for a new category on davaidavai – the fake of the day.
More and more I get sick of unapplicable fake campaigns that get retweeted over and over again to generate PR for the phantasies of an agency. The beauty of (tech) creativity is to work under certain limitations. And is absolutely legitimate to play and experiment with prototypes. But to mark an unapplicable prototype with a reach of 3 persons in your bathroom and a Youtube video to promote it as a campaign is strictly unethical.
The fake of the day came via geekosystem, Creativity Online, and mashable and is currently getting retweeted all over the web. The idea goes like this: ‘GranataPet brand dog food figured out a clever way to beat the problem with food ads: In most forms of media, consumers generally can’t taste or smell the food being advertised. When one checks in at the billboard via Foursquare, some of the dog food slides out of a dispenser and into a bowl, ready for dogs sample.’
Yeah, right. On one billboard?
Questions:
- I am German. Has any German ever heard of this dog food brand?
- Has any German ever seen one of these billboards?
- How should this billboard work if (in 2010) only ~20,000 Germans were actual Foursquare users
Latest Comments