Bavaria is a beautiful state in Germany. Forests, lakes, mountains, inspiring cities. It’s packed with gorgeous destinations and popular amongst tourists and locals alike. But many people still use their cars to explore the countryside because they believe it to be cheaper, faster, and more flexible than using the far more sustainable trains from DB Regio Bayern. We wanted to change that. We wanted to make people aware of how important it is to switch to climate-friendly means of transport in times like these.

It quickly became clear: If people are to switch to DB Regio, we have to rethink - usual advertising measures will not get us anywhere. That's why we gave our message a new, much more dramatic perspective: Folks, this isn't about rail travel, it's about the destruction of our civilization! And this message needs a format that goes beyond the usual dimensions and generates true emotions. So we came up with a 12 minute short film that ran in cinemas across Bavaria and on the web. A story, entertaining, non-promotional and peppered with hidden arguments for traveling sustainably by train and combined with a large portion of travel inspiration.

Saving the environment and sustainability are central topics of our time. They also take center stage in the communication of most global brands. And many people are already getting the message. When shopping, when saving energy, when traveling. But when it comes to sustainability, you can never do enough.

Together with DB Regio Bayern, we asked ourselves: how can we reach people who have so far not picked up on the message about treating our planet responsibly and who continue to rely on cars as the main means of transportation. The answer: Not with a classic advert, but with an emotional short film shown in cinemas and on the web. Cinema entertains and moves people. Emotional stories touch people and make them think.

In times where communication is characterized by short formats, fast cuts and mobile-optimized content, it was important to us to celebrate the cinematic experience. In addition, conventional television or cinema commercials are between 30 seconds and 60 seconds long. But we came up with a 12 minute short film that ran in cinemas across Bavaria and on the web. A story, entertaining, non-promotional and peppered with hidden arguments for traveling sustainably by train and combined with a large portion of travel inspiration.

Through the innovative use of a 12-minute timer, an exciting story was created that conveys the deep message and call for sustainable commuting and travel behavior at its core. With the help of the community management set up explicitly for this purpose, questions about the film could be answered and more space was given to the topic of climate-friendly transport. The community got involved and picked up. DB Regio Bayern places itself as a brand that is close to users and celebrates the beauty of the state of Bavaria regionally.