Basel-Stadt Cantonal Police Campaign: «We Need You.»

Basel-Stadt Cantonal Police Campaign Features Real Faces

With a new recruitment campaign, the Basel-Stadt Cantonal Police is seeking police officers and security assistants. For the Basel-Stadt Cantonal Police campaign, the agency dear creative developed the strategic and creative concept «We need you.» The campaign focuses on the social significance of police work—deliberately avoiding traditional police clichés and instead featuring real employees.

«Safety. Needs you.», «Respect. Needs you.», or «Responsibility. Needs you.»: With short, direct messages, the campaign appeals to people who want to take on responsibility in their careers and make a concrete contribution to society. The guiding principle developed by dear creative is based on the conviction that safety, order, and community are not abstract achievements of a system, but rather the result of people who work toward them every day.

As a result, the campaign does not focus primarily on uniforms, emergency vehicles, or spectacular situations, but rather on the people behind the cantonal police force. This direct appeal highlights the value of their work and combines social relevance with personal appreciation: As a police officer or security assistant, your dedication makes a difference.

Genuine employees become ambassadors

Visually, too, the campaign emphasizes closeness and authenticity. At the heart of the visuals are real employees of the Basel-Stadt Cantonal Police. They are not portrayed as exaggerated heroes, but as people who take responsibility, work as a team, resolve conflicts, and are there for others. For the photographic execution, dear creative collaborated with Basel-based photographer Kostas Maros, who portrayed the employees in a direct, authentic, and self-assured visual style. In this way, the visual imagery translates key aspects of the profession—teamwork, variety, immediate assistance, and social impact—into contemporary recruitment messaging.

At the same time, employees become ambassadors for the values of the cantonal police. According to the organization, responsibility, integrity, reliability, fairness, and respect shape its ongoing cultural development and are deliberately incorporated into the campaign’s language and imagery. Thus, «We need you» stands not only for the search for new employees but also for the self-image of an organization in transition.

«With this new campaign, we want to show what police work is really all about: people who take responsibility for others and make a tangible contribution to Basel through their daily efforts. »We need you.’ gets straight to the heart of this message and, at the same time, highlights what we stand for as an employer,” says Adrian Plachesi, Head of Communications for the Basel-Stadt Cantonal Police.

A guiding principle that can evolve over time

dear creative won the pitch with its concept and was responsible for the strategic and creative development of the campaign. From the very beginning, the central idea was designed as a flexible communication system: Different terms, employees, job profiles, and situations can be recombined time and again under the principle «We need you.» As a result, the campaign works just as well for police officers as it does for security assistants and can be expanded to include additional roles and target groups in the future.

The concept is also designed for long-term use across all channels—from large-scale out-of-home and print to digital and social media formats, and on to video and performance-based communication. Launching on September 21, 2026, the campaign will feature large-scale print and ePanel ads in Basel, northwestern Switzerland, and other selected cantons.

The result is a recruiting platform that goes beyond short-term recruitment: It shines a light on the people behind the cantonal police force, conveys appreciation, and shows why their dedication is important for community life in Basel.

Responsible at Cantonal Police Basel-City: Adrian Plachesi (Head of Communications, Basel-Stadt Cantonal Police), Diana Erhart (Social Media Manager, Basel-Stadt Cantonal Police); Contact person at dear creative: Philippe Knupp (Director), Thea Ferretti (Director), Andrea Bissig (Senior Designer), Viola Tamanini (Designer); Photography: Kostas Maros; Video: Laurence Müller; Media Agency: Freaky Swep