Last but not least: Contexta confuses Switzerland
Contexta showed the lives of the stars last week on behalf of Swisslos. The first episode of "Swiss Cribs" with Stress caused confusion among many people. Werbewoche.ch clears things up.
Few days ago published Werbewoche.ch the new campaign from Contexta. Statement: You can't even get rich as a star in Switzerland - unless you play Euromillions. A satire of the "MTV Cribs" program, in which American superstars guide ordinary viewers through the chambers of their million-dollar mansions, present the fleet of cars and list the number of bathrooms.
The campaign kicked off with Stress. Not an international superstar, but one of the most successful Swiss musicians of the present day. 250'000 records sold, packed concert halls. How it might be about the financial situation of the owner of a clothing label, Blick-Online revealed by chance on September 16: "Stress buys the "Strelanie" luxury villa". The musician is now the sole owner of the property, estimated at 2.5 million francs. One referred to one of Der Sonntag investigated Story from the day before - the newspaper is said to have looked into the matter at the land registry office in Riesbach ZH. Blick even published an exterior photo of the house, including the vehicle fleet of Sponsor Mini. The next day, the photo miraculously disappeared ("Updated: 17.09.2012").
Also on September 17, Contexta launched the campaign showing Stress as the occupant of a run-down house with an overgrown garden. The interior design is reminiscent of a student flat-share; the bathroom of a ruined building in which homeless people have taken up residence. The vehicle fleet this time: a motorcycle.
The idea that the musician's supposed living situation was a freely invented publicity stunt was therefore obvious. One might think so. On the same day 20 Minutes Online the video and discreetly pointed out the background ("A joke? Yes!"). Still, a considerable portion of the commenting readership didn't seem to get the joke. "And this broken hut is supposed to be worth 2 million francs?" wondered one reader; "I have trouble with people (...) who reveal their privacy to get into the media again" condemned another the appearance. But stress was also met with understanding: "Leave him alone, he built his empire himself." And even socio-critical conclusions were drawn from the film: "That shows true greatness (...). It's the person that counts, not the possessions!!!"
And what does Contexta think about it? The agency naturally enjoyed the discussion and the media attention. The film has been viewed around 36'000 times on YouTube to date. Creative Director Moritz Staehelin tells Werbewoche.ch: "That's exactly what we wanted to achieve. The viewers should ask themselves: is this now the "Villa Strelanie" or is it all fake?" The Blick story was not seen as a nuisance - but as an opportunity to launch the campaign. They deliberately wanted to initiate a discussion about how much truth there actually was in the story. Homework done! Because even if it was obvious that the trappings, the furnishings (for example, the hobby studio at primary school level) and the countless posed details were fictitious - even the media-savvy viewer could not be completely sure that the house shown was not a recreational shared apartment of the eternally young rapper.
But to dispel any doubts, Staehelin confirms to Werbewoche.ch: "In fact, it's not Stress' house." At least among the part of the readership that has seen the real "Strelanie Villa" on Blick.ch, the astonishment should be within manageable limits. (hae)
