The idea was to tap in to the general mood of the German people and reflect the emotions that currently dominated the public discourse: Disappointment, disbelief and a growing aversion towards politicians who were considered to be too egoistical and incompetent. Therefore a simple statement was required that embodied all of these negative emotions but still put Sixt in a positive light. All of this was achieved with little more than motifs of the involved politicians and a simple but clear message. The dissatisfaction, mocking of the political parties and promoting Sixt’s low prices at the same time all condensed into a simple play on word: 4 weeks for nothing. Not even Sixt is that cheap.

The post was launched on social media only a few hours after the announcement by the FDP with a budget of 5000 Euro to support its natural reach. Also a full page advertisement featuring the motif was booked in the German national newspaper „Sueddeutsche Zeitung“ and set to be released immediately on the following day.

The motif immensely exceeded all expectations. Within 48 hours the motif became the most successful post in Sixt’s history with 120 000 likes, 26 000 shares and 4.3 million impressions. Shared by countless well-established influencers and covered by many online news sites the post became a viral hit. But even in the offline realm of classical media the post was met with much enthusiasm prompting coverage in news reports by German channels ntv and Hessischer Rundfunk. The message was unanimously positively received by fans and non-fans alike and earned Sixt huge compliments for managing to take the spotlight from the quarelling political parties. The way of capturing the zeitgeist in a simple message was perceived as a more charming than mocking tonality and resulted in almost no negative feedback. Overall the goal of endearing Sixt to its customers and creating brand sympathy was more than achieved.