Welcome to THE LÄND!

The campaign will replace the old claim „Wir können alles. Außer Hochdeutsch.“ to globally re-position the state and present it to (inter)national professionals. It is a collaborative work by Jung von Matt/Neckar and Milla & Partner. Claim and campaign by JvM, the eventive and spatial measures, e.g. roadshow, trade fair appearances and events, by Milla & Partner.

After 20 years, it was time to develop an image campaign that has international appeal and generates recognition effects. The goal is to enthuse (inter)national specialists for Baden-Württemberg, to strengthen the state as the place to be and to communicate the themes of innovation, progress, high-tech, economic power, environment, climate protection, humaness as well as unique quality of life and fun. So, the state was reinvented by the Stuttgart Jung von Matt/Neckar creative team and the result is: "Baden-Württemberg. THE LÄND". Simultaneously humorous and serious, the slogan expresses stature and sovereignty, whilst being unpretentious, self-ironic and, above all, memorable: the dots on the A are not only visual stumbling blocks, but also simple memory anchors. Aiming to become part of everyday language and at people from Baden-Württemberg to become ambassadors or multipliers, THE LÄND campaign will also express how the state stands for "as well as": It is, for example, the land of artificial intelligence, but also of free kindergartens. That makes it both a good place to work and a good place to live.

Step by step and with a sophisticated dramaturgy, the campaign was introduced strategically and spatially. A statewide guerrilla action was launched before the official kick-off on October 29: The message "Welcome to THE LÄND" could be read in large letters at locations near the border and places of arrival e.g. train stations or airports. People entering Baden-Württemberg mysteriously became aware of the new claim – with hints about the upcoming "Big Bang" scattered everywhere.

The Stuttgart Port was a typical location for highlighting the core of the new campaign at the press conference with Minister President Kretschmann. After all, the striking backdrop is located both at an important transportation hub with an industrial transshipment center and in front of the vineyards and orchards of the Neckar Valley. What better place to express the dialectic, the two poles of the state: quality of work and quality of life. In a contemporary setting of Euro pallets, LED screens and (graphic) cross-references to the location, not only Minister President Winfried Kretschmann but also other players from business and industry had their say – giving the apparent ambivalence an additional face.

To striking effect, the next element of the campaign launch was also staged at the press conference: the mobile store, which is part of a roadshow through Baden-Württemberg, was dramatically ferried in by a reach stacker. In the overseas container, THE-LÄND merchandising items – from badges to T-shirts and hoodies – are available for purchase, inviting people to participate: with their LÄND-merch on show, Baden-Württemberg fans will become ambassadors for the state. The LÄND-tour will stop at nine locations, with the first stop being the Schlossplatz in Stuttgart. Organization and coordination for the tour with partners and local authorities on site was in the hands of Milla & Partner, as was the design of the container itself.

To coincide with the press conference, the Baden-Württemberg House at Expo 2020 in Dubai was updated overnight: Graphics and media displays in the state's own pavilion were substituted and supplemented, enabling THE LÄND to internationally unfold its scope.

Further national and international highlights are planned, e.g. targeted campaigns and the participation in major international events and trade fairs. For the latter, a new trade show stand was developed which spatially translates the campaign's messages and allows visitors to become part of the staging. Here, the "as well as" is taken up again and the contrast of beautiful landscape and quality of life plus start-up design for innovative work can be experienced spatially. Regional companies of international standing are presented with a high quality of encounter. The new stand design premiered at Arab Health in Dubai.

As partner of advertising agency Jung von Matt/Neckar, Milla & Partner contributed not only its consulting expertise to this project, but above all its expertise in the field of spatial communication: Experience design, activation and participation, eventive formats and a consistent campaign dramaturgy. The individual building blocks linked with each other across all formats make the image campaign a strong communicative umbrella, under which not only the most diverse actors can promote the location and act together, but space is opened up for emotional experiences.