Galaxus as accomplice: How "Murder Girlfriend" makes everyday life suspicious

In the play, all it takes is a moment of Swiss politeness and discomfort is already sitting at the table. It is precisely this mechanism - the quiet slide from the harmless to the uncanny - that the campaign takes up. Not as a statement of content, but as a feeling.

Fabian Bertschinger talks about mistrust, projections and the moment when the familiar suddenly takes on a shadow. This perspective is crucial: "Mordsfreundin" is not sold like a plot, but like a paranoia that bites into things you have in your hands every day.

"The starting point was the psychological level of the play. It's not about violence, but about mistrust, projections and the moment when the familiar suddenly tips over. In "When Looks Kill", we play with precisely this paranoia: around Elsa, any household object can suddenly become a potential murder weapon. The campaign hints instead of explaining and trusts the audience to think this threat through for themselves." - Fabian Bertschinger

Galaxus as accomplice

The strongest spin happens where you least expect it: in a cooperation that doesn't shout "partner logo", but story.

Galaxus brings everyday products with it - familiar, banal, almost invisible. And that is precisely what makes them so effective in this context. When a product poster hangs next to the theater poster, the meaning shifts without a single explanatory sentence: the object remains the same, but it suddenly feels like a piece of evidence.

Bertschinger describes this effect analogously as a new level of meaning through proximity: the object is not re-declared - it is thought suspiciously. And thus Galaxus becomes an accomplice to a hammer idea, not just the sponsor of a sender.

"Galaxus stands for everyday products and immediately recognized the potential of the idea. The products and the brand fit perfectly with the campaign. Galaxus products are familiar, almost banal, and that's exactly what makes them suddenly suspicious in context. The direct proximity of product and theater poster creates a new level of meaning, without any additional explanation." - Fabian Bertschinger

City as a crime scene

This logic runs through the entire production: the campaign wants to pull the theater out of the auditorium - into the street, into the point of view, into the split second between "ah, a poster" and "wait a minute...".

Double-sided subjects work with the same courtesy trap as the piece: friendly at the front, blade at the back.

Digital screens create brief irritations: a harmless moment - and for a moment something wrong flashes up.

And for the premiere, the venue itself becomes a stage: the theater plays theater in front of the theater.

Everything remains in the same tonality: not explaining, but nudging. Not shouting, but whispering - and that's precisely why it sticks, as befits a poster...

Why this is more than just a nice case

You can read this as a nice campaign for a "far too nice crime comedy". But it can also be seen as a demonstration of what happens when a theater, agency and a big brand don't just add reach, but create meaning. And yes: while Zurich is discussing outdoor advertising, a campaign like this is almost like practical counter-evidence - not as a political statement, but as a reminder that posters are an urban narrative medium.

The final image: a pointed feather

Bertschinger says that the audience decides whether it is a success. That fits. Because this campaign only works if you stop for a moment - and catch yourself mentally scanning your own shopping as you move on. And the m&k editor naturally remains a respectable citizen. The most he orders from Galaxus is a microphone and mobile light for filming - never murder tools. Most likely a sharp pen. And if you can get one at Galaxus: please only in a harmless version.

"This project was a real labor of love for us. You can feel the theater's passion for its play and it was precisely this joy that was transferred to our team. We had great fun thinking 'Mordsfreundin' further and staging it beyond the stage." - Fabian Bertschinger

"Mordsfrundin" is with Wanda Wylowa, Tonia Maria Zindel, Alexandre Pelichet, Kamil Krejčí, Peter Hottinger, Gina Markowitsch and Rafael Luca Oliveira, directed by Hanna Scheuring. Duration: 2h15min, incl. intermission. All screening dates can be found here. 

Credentials: In addition to Fabian Bertschinger, the advertising and marketing team also included Markus Gut, Manuel Griestock, Laura Hamami and T+T Fotografie