​21.05.2019

Marketing & Design for the TV event "24h Europe - The Next Generation"

by Eyes & Ears of Europe

On 4 May 2019, Arte, rbb, SWR and BR broadcast the 24-hour documentary in real time, which focuses on everyday life and the challenges of the 60 young and European protagonists.

The TV event "24h Europe - The Next Generation" shows the everyday life of 60 young people from different European countries. Through the eyes of these people, 24h Europe was broadcast in real time. The project was developed and produced by the Berlin production company zero one, which had already been responsible for the formats "24h Berlin", "24h Bayern" and "24h Jerusalem", in co-production with the French company Idéale Audience. ARTE, rbb (who is in charge of the project within ARD), SWR, BR, ARD-alpha and other European broadcasters broadcast the 24-hour documentary on 4 May 2019. The authentic and diverse European narrative can be seen and experienced in the media libraries of the stations (ARTE, rbb, SWR, BR).

The protagonists, who were selected on the basis of various sociological megatrends such as digitalisation and gender shift, also form the centre of the marketing measures. In its outdoor advertising, rbb concentrated primarily on the Berlin region. The advertising agency heimat active was also responsible for the OOH campaign and the digital advertising media of rbb. Megalightboards were used primarily on the streets of the city centre, while spots on the info screens reached guests at Berlin stations. Particularly striking was the quasi takeover of the entire "Rosenthaler Platz" station with a specially developed protagonist motif series.

In order to reach young viewers in particular, 7,500 wild posters were hung on heavily frequented hotspots that could not be used by classic advertising media. This is intended to integrate the "24h Europe" format into the neighbourhood scenery and thus become part of the city. 

Source: Ultra OOH GmbH

For online marketing, the measures were switched to regional targeting Berlin-Brandenburg. Both billboard banners and placements in the newsletter and video ads were used. A separate rbb trailer for 24h Europe was designed for social media.

In order to generate a larger reach, relevant measures were also played out for certain target groups, such as the queer community. These were selected on the basis of the topics for which the individual protagonists stand.

The Berlin design office fertig design is responsible for the programme's design. This is their first project for a television format, but it turned out to be an advantage: "We hadn't worked for a television format before and therefore approached the project with some distance to the material and a certain ignorance of the conventions of the format. Our main goal was to create an image, a strong visual brand that represents the core of the show in a minimalist and memorable way," says Norman Palm, Designer & Partner fertig design.

Just like the format itself, which falls out of the usual television rhythm, the atypical design also follows a strong concept. Both online and offline, the focus was on the logo, which - set in motion - reflects the dynamics and duration of the format. It can be combined with image material or colour surfaces and functions like a stamp. This stamp function is important because the appearance should also be adapted and used by the various broadcasters involved. In addition, the H of the logo becomes the central design element from which, for example, illustrations can be developed.

The progress of the 24 hours is reflected in the growing H of the logo. On the other hand, the design also represents the young generation of digital natives portrayed in the programme. Norman Palm comments: " The H in the logo corresponds to a loading bar, as known from YouTube, for example. The quick change of images in the programme's opener references swiping in a picture gallery on the smart phone. We also borrowed other elements of the programme from digital culture: the locations on the maps of Europe, for example, with their markings and fast zoom, are reminiscent of digital maps on the net. Our design was therefore about being up-to-date, about the snapshot and the fast-moving - so the content and design of the programme are in harmony".

It's a 24-hour show where viewers can switch on and off in the middle of it. So the challenge for the design was to create a recognition value and a holistic appearance: "We tried to think more about the design of a TV channel than a TV show, which is why we concentrated on the striking logo," explains Norman Palm.

Further information at: https://www.rbb-online.de/doku/0-99/24h-europa/24h-europe.html, https://www.24h-europe.tv/de/ and http://www.fertigdesign.com/category/samples/