First impressions of Advertising in Berlin

I always thought advertising was going to be one of the biggest between Germany and the United states, however, so far I have found it very similar (Remember, SO FAR!). Maybe I have not been around the city that much, but my expectations for German advertising were more about what in America is considered as taboo (Yes, Full-Body display). I have heard that advertising in Germany, and generally in Europe, is more liberal when it comes to the naked body, therefore, I was expecting to see “skin” all over the place, but to my surprise, until now I have not see a single full-skin full-boy ad. A couple of weeks ago I was in South America and I was surprised to see an ad displaying a women’s complete breast. After analyzing the advertising and discussing it with my friends, I came to the conclusion that I have become a little “Americanized” when it comes to that. After living for 9 years in the United States and after not being expose to that type of advertisement for so long, my first impression was that of shock. I found it unbelievable that they had to show a naked women in order to sell their product, but the more I though about it, the more I came back to my mainstream beliefs and the least I thought about the American taboos I had acquired in the last few years. In Latin America and Europe, full body display ads are very common; the human naked body is looked at as natural and beautiful, in contrast to the United Stated where it is looked as perverted and unacceptable.

Getting back to my first impressions on advertising in Berlin, I have seen a little bit of everything; from Oakley to Apple, from Pay pal to McDonalds and H&M, among other European or German brands not very familiar to me. One of my favorite one was the digital display that I saw in a subway station. I am not sure if these kind of ads are common in the Chicago or New York subways, but I found it very unique and it truly grabbed my attention. These ads included chewing gums, T-mobile, among other commercials. On the other hand, one of my least favorite ads were the Pay Pal ones; the blue and white combination of colors did not grab my attention at all and there was nothing original about them. Also, the “PayPal” name appeared at the bottom right corner of the ad; therefore, if a person were to start reading the ad and the train were to come and block it, then that person would never knew what the ad was about. There was no brand identification.

Furthermore, the most consistent advertising campaign I have seen so far in Berlin has been the Oakley. Since the first day I came to the city, I have seen Oakley everywhere, especially in the subway stations (Or is it because I have been ONLY taking the subway?). I turn right, I see an ad; I turn left I see another ad; I go up the stairs and I see an ad in the actual steps. This is a WONDERFUL branding campaign! Is not telling me “Go buy Oakley sunglasses”; what Oakley is doing is using public endorsers and advertising their product through them. Now, the most interesting fact is that most of the endorsers that I have seen so far are American athletes. Again, the globalization can be seen even in the subway stations in Berlin, and like we spoke today in class, not globalization but “Westernization.” Back to the advertising concepts, the use of the black and white, the famous athletes, the powerful pictures and the repetition are making this campaign a successful one or at least it is grabbing the people’s attention.

To conclude, I am looking forward to get to know the city and see different unique ads that can only be seen here; maybe full today display ads, or maybe an even more powerful campaigns, than Oakley. I am sure there is a lot more to be seen in this Metropolis!

Key Points
- So far, ads in Berlin are not that different from Miami ads.
- So far, the weakest ads are the Pay Pal subway ads.
- So far, the most powerful ad campaign is the Oakley one.