The result
- 28 million net range
- 26 tons of bound CO2eq
- 100 % food yield with 87 % cultivated area
- Increase in biodiversity on site by +106 %
Deutsche Telekom – Magenta Blossom
Sustainability communication in XXL format
With Magenta Blossom, Deutsche Telekom pioneered a new, innovative communication channel: a huge field of blossoms and the world’s largest sustainable OOH display. The campaign became a striking visualization of the company’s commitment to sustainability, environmental protection, and technological innovation.
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The XXL canvas of nature
In the summer of 2023, 21 million wildflowers and herbs and around 3 million sugar beets on an area the size of 56 football pitches in the Cologne/Bonn region formed the Deutsche Telekom logo and the sustainability hashtag #GreenMagenta. With the aim of interactively educating various target groups about biodiversity and sustainability, the landscape was transformed into a living canvas that could be explored as a multi-sensory brand experience and as an educational trail with various stations. Realised with innovative smart farming technology, it is not only a visual statement, but also a research project in cooperation with the Nürtingen University of Applied Sciences to investigate possible effects on biodiversity.
Pioneering work: Nature-As-A-Display
Agriculture and advertising are increasingly associated with environmental pollution. Telekom, under the leadership of Christian Hammerschmidt (stream-lead responsible communication), together with the start-up GEOXIP and MetaDesign, recognized the opportunity to fuse technology and agriculture to advance both environmental protection and extraordinary brand experiences.
A content strategy designed for organic reach with thematically appropriate measures and collaborations generated attention and provided information both on site and via the GreenMagenta Microsite.
From concept development to implementation and follow-up reporting, MetaDesign provided Magenta Blossom with support in the areas of strategy, project management and design, helping to establish the new media genre “Nature as a Display”.
“With new and innovative media formats that are sustainable themselves instead of just advertising sustainability, we are authentic, credible, and send a clear signal against greenwashing. Sustainability at Deutsche Telekom is so much more than just words - it is a lived practice."
Media response & transformation potential
Magenta Blossom generated a huge media response and reached 28 million people. The sustainability effects are also impressive, as Magenta Blossom is not only climate-neutral, but even climate-positive: a total of 26 tons of CO2eq were absorbed, biodiversity increased from 52 to 107 plant species and the honey yield of the local bee colonies rose by 25 %. All of this was achieved without any loss to the farmer: 100 % food yield with only 87 % of the original cultivation area.
If similarly established brands were to divert just 1 % of their marketing budget into green advertising initiatives, this would lead to a total investment of up to 2.5 billion euros, contribute significantly to the promotion of sustainability, and set a progressive new course for sustainable communication planning.
"The size of the flowering element, the well-thought-out composition of the wildflower mixture and the networking of the blooming area with other landscape elements make Magenta Blossom a showcase project that will hopefully find many imitators."
The topic attracted so much public interest that a comprehensive article on the Magenta Blossom project and its many dimensions was written for the anthology “Sustainable Marketing Management,” published by Springer Gabler. The reference book will be published in the second half of 2024 and offer more insights about this groundbreaking project.
Awards
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ADC Wettbewerb 2024 (Spatial Experience - Park / Landscape)
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Deutscher PR-Preis 2024 (Creative Communication Approach)
Need more details?
Contact MetaDesign Düsseldorf mail.dus@metadesign.com +49 30 59 00 54 0
