A year like no other. In 2021, Hamburg has set a milestone in cultural communication – with a campaign that celebrated the force of culture in the city. Set up by a unique collaboration between the public-sector marketing offices of Hamburg Marketing and Hamburg Tourism as well as the Ministry of Culture and Media, Germany’s second-largest city has managed to raise awareness across all cultural genres and boundaries in a sustainable way.
We’ve created a campaign that celebrates culture as a necessity, a staple, an essential means of everyday life. We’ve created a communication strategy that truly spans the spectrum: from the relaunch of cultural events within the pandemic situation, to the season openings and international festivals in Hamburg, to the Elbphilharmonie’s 5th anniversary festivities.
By orchestrating an integrated 360-degree campaign, we’ve unleashes a vibrant cultural frenzy on all channels. Three intriguing messages entwine around three campaign phases and mobilise all of Hamburg’s cultural resources: “Play Out Loud” – “Open All Senses” – “Hear I Am”. In combination, the slogans create a furious interplay that mobilises the metropolis and its people.
We’ve designed a key visual that connects all three communicative chapters. The triptych abstractly incorporates the real-life events with the symbol of a stage space, the semicircle.
No one could escape Hamburg’s “Kulturrausch” buzz which caused a sensation across all media and touchpoints.
The bold campaign, taken up in a decentralised way and broadcasted by all cultural institutions and practitioners alike, told the narrative of confidence in an unseen way, offering a unifying platform to the diversity of Hamburg’s rich cultural landscape.
New collaborations emerged, new cultural partnerships were forged. The campaign brought together artistic stakeholders across all disciplines and milieus – and opened a unifying stage for a resounding collective reunion. In surprising venues and in unseen constellations, the campaign has taken Hamburg’s perception as a city of culture to a new level.
