New Power
The situation
2003 was a bad year for IG Metall. Following a very public fight for leadership, the union was affected by an outpour of bad press and negative publicity. IG Metall Stuttgart asked us for a local image campaign to offer up a clean slate. Our job was to let the public, the union members and the employer’s federation know: IG Metall is back.
Our solution
A fresh start means letting go of old, familiar images. In this case, we wanted to get rid of the same old union clichés: Red Banners, whistles and a negative attitude. Instead, we developed a campaign featuring images that symbolized power and unity, that were completely unconventional by German union standards. Because we believed that a modern, non-traditional union should also have modern, non-traditional advertising.
The result
Our campaign helped to restore IG Metall’s confidence and power. The campaign proved to be immensely popular, even among some employers. One further pleasant side effect: membership is on the rise again.
