Voelkel
Pollinators wanted!
One-fifth of all animal and plant species in Europe are threatened with extinction – including bees and bumblebees, which pollinate the crops that form the basis of our diet. Voelkel Biosafetei has therefore been campaigning for organic farming and biodiversity for decades. But how can the complex topic of ‘biodiversity’ be communicated in a way that reaches people, particularly those outside the ‘organic bubble’?
Our services:
On 1 April, we launched an unusual job advert: Pollinators wanted!
In other words, people who, in light of the alarming decline in insect populations, are now needed to pollinate millions of flowers by hand with the utmost care and sensitivity. We posted this (obviously fictional) job advert in the official job listings on voelkel.de and also promoted it through social media posts and a video featuring Voelkel co-owner Jurek Voelkel himself.
The Result:
Unusual, bizarre, threatening and alarming all at once: our job advert caused quite a stir, both online and offline. The comments sections were filled with discussion, laughter and criticism – and this generated hugely valuable attention for the decline in insect populations. Media outlets such as NDR, the tagesschau and Antenne Niedersachsen, as well as 18 other magazines, not only reported on the campaign but even ran adverts free of charge. In total, Voelkel reached over 13 million people and generated a media value of €200,000 – with an unbeatably low investment of just €1,291 . This is the best proof that sustainability doesn’t need a big budget, but rather big, bold ideas.
