Austria is home to one of the biggest branded content players in the world: Red Bull.

The brand has always been a pioneer in content marketing and is an inspiration for many Austrian brands and companies – not only for the larger ones.

The Model-Makers Fair in Vienna run by Reed Exhibitions has just a fraction of the Red Bull media budget but has become a well-established key player regarding branded content: Last year’s 'Lego Stratos Jump', a mock-up of Felix Baumgartner’s epic stunt, reached more than 10 million people worldwide - proof that a great story can have more impact than a large budget.

The whole campaign started with an anonymous YouTube video showing four Austrians chiseling off the tip of Germany’s highest mountain. The beloved Zugspitze mountain (2,962m) was now apparently 30 cm shorter, measuring only 2,961m.

The issue immediately became a state affair. The police started an investigation, the Public Attorney’s Office filed charges against unknown persons and the Bavarian public authorities called for the Zugspitze to be officially re-measured. Germany was in a rage.

Two days later when the outrage about the mountain summit theft was at its maximum, we addressed Germany via YouTube and other online platforms claiming that Gemany´s highest mountain was now to be found in Austria and could be viewed at Vienna’s Model-Makers Fair in the scale of 1:1. Well, at least the peak of it. It didn’t take long for the news to spread all over Austria and Germany, generating free media coverage worth millions.

Results:

Firstly: A charge of theft.

The Zugspitze mountain summit theft became one of the biggest no-budget campaigns that Austria had ever seen. The story generated millions of free media coverage in Germany and Austria. The action was discussed in endless blogs and forums, heated up by a traditionally sensitive love-hate relationship between the two countries. The action earned more than 211.000.000 media impressions and the Zugspitze mountain summit became the Model-Makers Fair’s most popular exhibit. Additionally, the Fair achieved record visitor numbers.

Paid media: None

Media impressions earned: 211.000.000

Visitors: 15% plus

Owned: A block of stone