Branding Through Diverse Media

Innovative branding strategies are being widely used to market brands throughout Berlin. Different media being used vary from large print ads wrapped around buildings to wireless bluetooth technology. It seems as though Berlin is the center of diverse media branding as they come up with new ways to promote products and services.

The most innovative branding I was able to see was the use of toilet paper as an advertising medium.


Corona is a brand that is exploring branding with diverse media. We ran into the Corona booth at the Carnival of Cultures in Berlin. Not only did they have a booth there, they also had a float participating in the festivities as well as a HUGE Corona bottle, a welcoming, familiar sign to those of us that are loyal consumers of that brand, especially after working up a thirst enjoying the Carnival. Corona cars were also a prevalent sign in Berlin as the brand is trying to break into the competitive German beer market.



The German Aviation Museum also used an innovative form of marketing by hanging a DC-3 aircraft used in the Berlin Airlift in front of their building.

Design in Berlin: From Oppression to Liberation

This city has a very storied past as it has gone through so many changes in its history. Design elements are considered extremely important in Berlin due to the power they have to convey ideas to the populous.

While in Berlin we had the opportunity to take a bicycle tour around the city. While on the tour we saw many Nazi-era buildings which were designed solely to be ominous and convey fear to the people. All the buildings had the same design fundamentals: large scale, relatively in-ornate, and intimidating. Below is picture of the Ministry of Aviation in Nazi Berlin, which still stands but has been converted to the Office of Finance and Taxes.


Berlin has now become the complete opposite. Architecture in Berlin is being used as a form of non-verbal communication and is seen with a sense of pride and design elements are used to convey the complete opposite of that under Hitler and under communism.

Below is a collection of photos that shows the sense of German design which is now used to convey messages of freedom, liberty, and equality amongst countrymen.

Ethnic Minorities

Berlin is like most major metropolitan cities in the United States. A large immigrant population makes up this distinct city. Prior to our trip I always thought that Germans were very nationalistic and ethnic minorities were not a large percentage of the population. I soon came to find out that this was wrong. Not only is it a large percentage of the population that are of immigrant descent but the nations represented in this great city are so similar to those of New York, Miami, and Los Angeles. Each minority has adopted the German language and some traditions and customs but most of them have also stayed true to their heritage and brought back a piece of their culture to add to this beautiful "salad bowl" known as Berlin.

The way I see how ethnic minorities are perceived in the various places I have visited is through the food. The way that native Germans have adopted donners, pizza, and asian noodles is surprising as I have always thought that Germans would be biased to their sausages and beer, but this ethnic food has become a way of life not only for immigrants but for native Germans that have roots there.




German companies are now noticing what a large market these immigrant communities are and are targeting them for the first time in history as potential customers. Minorities are not only being targeted for purchases but also for them to embrace a "more European" way of thinking. One of the ways they are doing this is by a campaign geared toward tolerance for couples no matter what their race or nationality, as some cultures do not embrace the certain lifestyle choices.


This advertisement is geared mostly to the Turkish and Arab community calling for respect and tolerance for love, no matter what form it takes.

Non Traditional Advertising

While in Germany we were able to enjoy many forms of non-traditional advertising, as they are prevalent throughout the city. The term 'thinking outside the box' definitely applies to marketers in Berlin as they have very innovative ways of showcasing and selling their products or brands.

Perhaps the most distinct were the advertisements featuring HUGE building wraps, most notably the TV Tower at Alexanderplatz for T-Mobile, which was used to advertise the T-Mobile sponsoring of the Berlin Games.

Audi also had their own giant building wrap in the middle of Potsdamer Platz. What made this one so interesting is that they placed this wrap over another wrap that showed what the building would look like once construction was complete.


Finally, a truly incredible form of non-traditional advertising was the wrap over the construction site of a building near the Opera House. At first glance it seemed as though it was a beautiful building, relative to the other ones in the area, but upon a closer examination you could see that it was really a print wrapped around the construction site.

Marketing a Destination

With $120+ dollars being spent annually on travel, it should be no surprise that Tourism Boards want to advertise and market their destination internationally. This is evident in the marketing in and around Berlin for tourist destinations. Being an economic powerhouse, Germans have the luxury to travel to vacation destinations around the world. Germans travel more than any other nation, spending almost $70 Billion in 2006.


Marketers obviously want a piece of that pie, and in Germany they are actively marketing destinations for those travel dollars. One of the most prevalent campaigns is to the Canary Islands in Spain. Posters and advertising are placed across the S-Line platforms to make them clearly visible to riders of the S-Bahn and pedestrians a like. The images depict pleasant beaches, and a couple enjoying themselves frolicking in the sand. Their website, http://www.turismodecanarias.com/de/, is caters completely to Germans planning on visiting the Spanish Isles. They also include a service that sends SMS messages to mobile phones as a tourism guide.