- Deutsche Telekom launches Christmas campaign in ten European countries
- Enchanting fairy tale tells story of friendship and tolerance
- Company appeals for social cohesion
At a time when the world feels more divided than ever, Deutsche Telekom is launching its new Christmas campaign "Connections begin when barriers break". The company would like to inspire connection, reminding people that by reaching out to others – despite their differences – they can find common ground.
In a world that seems more connected than ever, individuals are paradoxically more divided. Despite sharing the same planet, many live in isolated "social bubbles," accepting only those who look, think, and act like them. This growing division weakens the collective ability to understand and embrace diversity.
"As a brand, we want to connect people. We want to make it clear that it is important and possible to break down barriers in our minds," explains Ulrich Klenke, Head of Brand at Deutsche Telekom. "Our company is committed to social cohesion and greater tolerance. It does not tolerate hatred and incitement, discriminatory actions, racism, and extremism in any way. We stand for what connects people, societies, and cultures.”
Connections begin when barriers break
The Christmas film takes viewers into an enchanting, modern fairy tale. It tells the story of two young girls, who seemingly live in different worlds, separated by a pane of glass. How and why, we only discover later in the film. Despite the separation, they enter a close, carefree friendship. Their heartwarming, childlike openness, and curiosity triumph over the invisible barriers of prejudice and tension that society has built between them. They show that connections are possible even under the most difficult circumstances. But why should it be so difficult to connect? What if they broke down the barriers of prejudice and allowed their friendship to blossom, no matter what society around them thought? This is their chance to find out.
The story builds to a powerful moment when the girls exchange Christmas gifts, realizing they had the same idea all along. One girl gives a brick, the other a rock, symbolizing their mutual plan to break the glass wall, once and for all. Both girls take aim and give all they’ve got…
We zoom out to see two snow globes, which we only now discover is a metaphor for the societal barriers we create to distance ourselves from others. The barriers, depicted by the snow globes, are now finally broken, ending physical division and marking the beginning of their true connection.
Christmas campaign in ten European countries
The campaign is taking place in ten Telekom countries. It starts on November 2 in Slovakia followed by Austria, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Germany and Poland as well as Romania, the Czech Republic and Hungary. The Christmas ad will be broadcast as a 120, 60, 45, 40, 35 and 15-second version on TV channels with high reach and also in cinemas. Other components of the campaign are locally adaptable advertising materials for print, digital media, OOH, social media, instore content & merchandise.
MUW Saatchi & Saatchi, Bratislava, was responsible for the creation of the campaign. Armada Films was in charge of production. The Spot was directed by award winning German director Alex Feil. He was assisted by Mortimer Hochberg, director of photography. Music was composed by German studio Supreme Music.
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