Marketing promotional tactics - Rostock showcases its region through bold catchphrases.
"It's not worth wasting your life in Kiel," scream the signs popping up all around Kiel right now. The Regional Planning Association of Rostock is running a massive marketing campaign with playful and witty phrases in multiple German cities. Their objective is to lure people to Rostock for a fresh beginning. "We're trying to subtly suggest that happiness can also be found in the Region Rostock," a representative from "Greater Rostock" said.
Posters have sprung up not only in Kiel but also in different places in Hamburg, with the saying "You've got the cash, we've got the value." In Berlin, you can spot posters with the writing "Berlin has changed so much. Why don't you?" and in Dortmund, it reads "Hoema! Time for a day job at the beach now." The cities chosen were picked based on population migration statistics, according to the rep.
The action is planned to last until mid-June and is part of a marketing endeavor. So far, the reactions have been positive. "We're not dumb enough to find our campaign absurd," they remarked. Rostock was recently chosen as one of the top 10 most livable cities in Europe in a European Union study.
The city of Kiel took the campaign lightly and responded with a cheeky comment. "Life is too short to be average - come to Kiel," a city representative said. Rostock and Kiel share many maritime similarities, making "us and the Baltic Sea region powerful," the spokesperson added. Schleswig-Holstein's Minister of Economics, Claus Ruhe Madsen (CDU), reacted calmly to the "Kieler Nachrichten" report on Friday, as per a report. "It seems the intelligent minds and hard workers of Rostock have been acknowledged in Kiel," he said.
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The marketing campaign also includes vibrant, colorful posters in the city of Berlin, featuring the caption "Berlin has changed so much. Why don't you?". The Region Rostock's advertising strategy has even reached the city of Dortmund, with a poster that reads "Hoema! Time for a day job at the beach now." Furthermore, the Regions of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein are indirectly involved in this promotional battle, with the former witnessing positive reactions and the latter's Minister of Economics, Claus Ruhe Madsen, acknowledging Rostock's recognition.
