Online hate, such as hate speech and cyberbullying, is a rapidly growing problem in Germany. But many – especially young people – do not see the danger and are increasingly becoming victims of hate.

Politics is still powerless. Just recently, a law against online hate was overturned in the German parliament.

It's time for big brands to stand up, take action and activate society: Telekom did it with the power of PR and drew attention to this important issue to trigger a long overdue rethink to make the internet a safe place for everyone!

Online hate, like hate speech and cyberbullying, is a highly important issue. Politicians are still powerless and the pandemic has made things even worse.

But many - especially young people - do not see the danger and are increasingly becoming victims of hate.

The creative brief was to develop an attention-grabbing campaign highlighting the danger of online hate that any of us can fall victim to. And to communicate the concrete help for victims Telekom together with its partners is offering.

The objective was to sensitize as many people as possible to the impending danger – with a pretty limited budget.

Together with two of Germany's most famous influencers, Telekom launched a provocative campaign to draw attention to the fact that anyone can become a victim of hate - regardless of their skills.

Social media talents were invited to a casting show to check, if they are "Ready to be an influencer?". They had the chance to showcase their skills in front of an online community that judged each performance live via digital postings.

During the performance, the community's comments suddenly turned into a wave of hate comments. What the talents didn't know was that everything was staged. There was no community. The (real) comments were collected online in advance and played out by a live editorial team.

Under psychological supervision, the experiment was always cleared up in time. This way the candidates were able to experience hate attacks themselves under safe conditions.

The experiment was documented as a film.

Online hate is a rapidly growing problem. But although more and more media are reporting, young people in particular feel superior and underestimate the danger. It is too abstract for them and the victims too distant.

Therefore the strategic idea was to let the target group (16-30 years, social media affine) feel the abstract danger in order to sensitize them more intensively to the topic of "hate on the internet".

The key message: "No matter what skills you have, hate can hit you too".

The core creative idea was a film about a social experiment, in which young people were attacked by real online hate.

The distribution took place via social media and PR focusing on the young target group. Platforms used were TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube. PR activities were reinforced by two of Germany's most famous influencers, focusing on multipliers like young pop-cultural websites and radio stations.

A stirring film documentary of the action became the centerpiece of an integrated campaign and a trigger for PR activations for a period of 14 days.

Moving teasers on social media and shout outs from influencers Diana zur Loewen and Eko Fresh, generated more than 3.8 million views in a fortnight. Media coverage of the campaign and numerous interviews of the two on TV, print, radio and online reached over 18 million people.

Additional support came from Telekom's wide-reaching internal network and its 44 partnering organizations in the fight against hate.

The campaign struck a nerve by making the well-known problem painfully tangible. It sparked a debate about the space we should give to "hate on the net" in our society and what we want to do about it.

More than 3.8 million views (campaign period 14 days).

Media coverage of the campaign on TV, print, radio and online reached over 18 million people.

With targeted digital content and the support of two of Germany's best-known influencers (each with more than 1 million followers), we reached a broad spectrum of our young target group, but also everyone who uses the World Wide Web via traditional media.

The stunt was highly praised by almost everyone in the comments.

Media reports: 225

Social media posts: 105

Radio contributions: 42

Media reach: 8.328.429

Social media reach: 3.844.834

Listeners: 3.000.000

Earned media value: 879.706 €

Beyond that the offers of help from Telekom and its partners were noticed and used by many more people than before (+28 % compared to the period before the campaign).

As Germany's leading network provider, Telekom sees it as its social responsibility and self-imposed duty to provide people with a network without hate. A network in which everyone treats each other with respect. Everyone should be able to #takepart in the digital space without fear.

Telekom stands with full conviction on the side of all those who are harassed and marginalised by the misuse of digital technologies. That is why it supports initiatives that specifically oppose the digital exclusion of individuals and thus plays a part in improving the situation for as many as possible. Together with its partners, Telekom therefore calls on everyone to #takepart in a fight for a network without hate.