Deutsche Telekom Fights Digital Violence, via Jung von Matt
Deutsche Telekom has launched a campaign against digital violence — its first project with Jung von Matt — extending the telecoms giant's long-running record of purpose-led work on online safety and responsible technology.
The campaign
Deutsche Telekom has begun a new campaign confronting digital violence, with a particular focus on online abuse directed at women. It is the first piece of work the brand has made with Jung von Matt, one of Germany's most celebrated creative agencies.
For a telecoms company, tackling the darker side of the connected world is a natural and credible territory. Telekom has spent years building a reputation for socially conscious campaigns around online safety, and this extends that franchise into an urgent, contemporary issue.
Why purpose works for this brand
Purpose-led advertising is easy to get wrong — audiences are quick to spot a brand borrowing a cause it has no right to. Telekom's advantage is authenticity: as a company whose product literally connects people, online safety sits squarely within its business.
Our read at Marketing Minute: the credibility test for purpose is whether the brand has permission to speak. A telecoms firm addressing digital violence passes that test in a way a soft-drink or fashion brand rarely could. The cause and the category are genuinely linked.
What marketers should take
The lesson is that purpose only pays when it is anchored in what your business actually does. Campaigns that stretch to fashionable causes with no connection to the product tend to invite cynicism rather than goodwill.
Before your brand takes a stand, ask the permission question: is this an issue we can credibly own because of what we make or how we operate? If yes, purpose deepens the brand; if no, it dilutes it.
Quick FAQ
What is Deutsche Telekom's new campaign about?
Confronting digital violence, with a focus on online abuse of women — its first project with agency Jung von Matt.
Why does purpose fit Deutsche Telekom?
As a company that connects people, online safety sits within its core business, giving it credible permission to address the issue.
What's the lesson for marketers?
Purpose pays only when anchored to what your business actually does; borrowed causes invite cynicism.
Purpose advertising lives or dies on permission. A telecoms company that connects millions of people has every right to talk about online safety — the cause and the category are genuinely joined. Telekom passes the test that so many purpose campaigns fail: it's speaking about something its own business is part of. — Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing
Purpose only pays when it's anchored to what your business actually does — borrowed causes invite cynicism.
Does your brand have real permission to own the cause it wants to champion — or is it borrowing one?
If you would like to know more about this topic, please contact us on danieln@merxmarketing.co.uk
Source: HORIZONT.
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Written by Daniel Nikolla, Founder of Merx Marketing Ltd and Marketing Minute
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