Local governments - Reutlingen targets its own city.
Reutlingen, a city with around 117,000 residents, isn't widely recognized as a tourist attraction, often overshadowed by the nearby university city of Tübingen. The city now faces attention due to the sudden appearance of shaming posters at various renowned locations around town.
Large poster boards have prominent sentences like "What did the Swabian Alb actually commit that it was locked out of Reutlingen?", "Nothing is more boring than an exciting day in Reutlingen", and "Living where no one takes a vacation." One of the posters even states, "You can't stand Reutlingen." What's the purpose of these messages?
Tübingen's mayor Boris Palmer shared a picture of a poster he saw at Reutlingen train station on his Facebook page. The poster reads, "We have to unfortunately tell you: You are in Reutlingen." Palmer added his thoughts on the matter, saying, "I consider that good marketing. We'll be waiting for the solution."
The meaning behind this campaign will be revealed on Monday, as it was created by the Reutlingen city administration and marketing department. It's unlikely to be a hilarious promotional campaign for the city. Furthermore, the tone of the slogans doesn't exactly align with Swabian sensitivities.
In the city spokesperson's words, "A nerve has been struck. We can see this from the numerous responses from Reutlingers, Reutlingers, and people from other cities on social media." Comments in social media range from "Oscar-worthy, a campaign that has the potential to become cult" to more critical statements like "What kind of assholes do that?".
