Sharing connects people – and so does the sharing economy. Deutsche Telekom recognized this early on, and, in a joint campaign with sharing-economy providers airbnb and BlaBlaCar, it has been highlighting this social aspect of the sharing economy internationally, via web, TV and poster advertising. Boosted by such efforts, the sharing economy has been growing worldwide.
Sharing today can easily reach far beyond neighborhood bounds. The global network, and modern mobile Internet access, have made it easy to contact private providers of goods and services around the world. No matter what one may happen to need – accommodations, a vehicle or even a special dining encounter, with stimulating conversation – an online portal is always available to provide it. And visits to such portals often offer welcome by-products in the form of new contacts and new experiences.
A recent study found that eight in ten Germans believe the sharing economy offers great benefits for providers and consumers alike.1 The potential financial savings are of course obvious. After all, borrowing is cheaper than buying! Other advantages seen in the sharing concepts now available online include environmental benefits such as reduced waste and consumption of materials (in the case of car sharing, for example). For many users, such conservational aspects are especially significant. Then there are the social components of sharing. By borrowing and renting from private providers, you can make new friends and enjoy new experiences. When you borrow something from somebody, or use the accommodations they provide, you may well find yourself suddenly immersed in that person's everyday life, getting to know that person! Not infrequently, such experiences prompt people to become providers themselves and let other people share in the nicer sides of their own lives.
A chance to see the world, have fascinating experiences and make new friends – sharing-services offer new ways of making life more interesting. In sum, sharing means experience. Just a few years ago, when the campaign began, that was a new insight for many people. It comes as no surprise that over 80 percent of all young people between the ages of 18 and 29 – a group certainly interested in new experiences! – now use sharing services.1 Car-sharing services, and intermediary services for private accommodations, are more popular than ever. Currently, some 45 percent of all Germans consider sharing services when they are booking vacation accommodations, and nearly 30 percent report being open to fee-based car-sharing.2 Via its campaign in cooperation with selected sharing-services providers, Deutsche Telekom has enhanced the profile and popularity of online sharing services and helped to write the success story of sharing via the network.
1 Share Economy 2015 survey, conducted by PwC: https://www.pwc.de/de/digitale-transformation/assets/pwc-bevoelkerungsbefragung-share-economy.pdf
2 Economic Research 2015 on the topic of the sharing economy, carried out by ING DiBa: https://www.ing-diba.de/pdf/ueber-uns/presse/publikationen/ing-diba-studie-sharing-economy-31-07-2015.pdf
