To show the imminent danger of social media in the wrong hands, we created a symbol. Starting with an icon that reigns supreme on the internet: the hashtag. By simply adding a specific background to the symbol we completely changed its meaning, directly referring to the Nazi swastika. The Hitler Hashtag was born.

We kicked off the campaign with huge flags in the heart of Berlin’s political district, like the Nazis did with their swastika flags in front of their buildings.

Our campaign hit hearts everywhere and young influencers joined the fight against racism. The Hitler Hashtag became a relevant topic with more than 850,000 likes and 76 million contacts. Via earned media an equivalent of € 4.9 million was generated. Even right-wing extremists spoke about us. But more important: so did the people who wanted to take a stand against racism. Attracting 550% more new members per month to “Gesicht Zeigen” than usual. After the campaign period of 4 weeks the rate decreased, but is still 80% higher than in the months before the campaign.