Virtual dementia

The film "Anna" has "the makings of a classic", announced Horizont on Wednesday in advance of the broadcast. And on W&V, where it (also ?) celebrated its premiere, Jung von Matt's "big hit for Saturn" was praised as the "next spot sensation".

Of course, the advertising enthusiast's heart laughs immediately, because the German JvM agencies deliver real highlights at regular intervals - often funny and entertaining (e.g. "All intentional" for the BVG). With the Edeka Christmas campaign "Coming home" Jung von Matt pulled off an emotional coup that moved half the DACH region to tears.

Saturn is now rebuilding the brand, which was primarily known in this country for the JvM creation "Geiz ist geil". A claim that has become firmly established in public parlance for years as the "stingy is cool" mentality. With a negative connotation - for many people today, stinginess is a symbol of many things that are wrong in today's world: Selfishness, saving at the expense of others - and at any cost.

Now it's suddenly human. "You can do more" is the message with which the electronics retailer wants to be perceived. Saturn's products are puzzle pieces for a warmer, more human world. This starts on a small scale, in interpersonal relationships. And, of course, at the Saturn checkout.

The main film "Anna" shows how the desperate daughter is able to restore her demented father's awareness of herself thanks to VR technology: He suddenly remembers her again. Speaking of remembering: the whole thing reminds us a little of the Ifolor campaign "Grace" by Walker - here, too, a man with dementia is given memories through a media stimulus. "Is this commercial even sadder than the Edeka grandpa?" asked the Bild newspaper at the time.

Does this commercial move you to tears? Or do you find it a transparent tear-jerker? It's probably a matter of taste. Incidentally, many people criticize that an illness and the fates associated with it are being misused here to increase sales of electronic products. That was certainly not the intention of the makers.

Another film in the campaign, "Sleepless", tells the story of a man who is initially annoyed by his neighbor's nightly washing escapades, then finds out that she is a poor, single mother and finally has a new, quieter machine delivered to her. The neighbor accepts the unsolicited and unannounced delivery of a washing machine halfway calmly. Because she seems to understand immediately thanks to a glance between neighbors: The old man across the street gave me a washing machine because my old one is too loud. Okay...

Since she obviously seems to be aware of the problem, one wonders why she didn't come up with the idea of seeking clarification with the neighbor (or neighbors). Once again, Saturn products had to sort it out. And that's a good thing, because Christmas is just around the corner.