Stadt Hanau
An anonymously donated colour film becomes a city's story for the next generation.
80 YEARS SINCE THE DESTRUCTION OF HANAU · 19 MARCH 2025 · MULTI-CHANNEL REMEMBRANCE CAMPAIGN
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Our Work
Donated anonymously, barely seen — now relevant to the whole city.
The campaign began with an unusual find: film footage was handed in anonymously to the city of Hanau — around 45 minutes shot in 1948, shortly after the city's destruction. What made it extraordinary: it was in colour, an absolute rarity at the time.
For the 80th anniversary of the bombing on 19 March 2025 we made that footage the foundation of a city-wide remembrance and education campaign. The goal: that every young person in Hanau understands what happened here 80 years ago — and why it must never happen again.
As digital naturals we were lead agency on the campaign. Backed by a local funder and delivered in cooperation with the city of Hanau and its head of culture, Martin Hoppe.
The result: reach well beyond the local area and several awards, among them the German Brand Award.
Stats
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Approach
Social first as the multiplier — capture attention where the young audience already is and extend into depth via the campaign site 20-minuten-hanau.de.
Streets, exhibition and events — from vast hoarding banners across the cityscape to the exhibition in the Altstädter Rathaus and remembrance formats for young and old.
School classes, podcast and eyewitnesses — bringing generations together: survivors tell grandchildren and young people what it feels like to be buried alive and survive. The podcast is distributed via Spotify and other platforms.
Essence
"An anonymously donated colour film could have disappeared into an archive. We made it the starting point of a campaign that brings generations together in Hanau — social first, in the streets, in the town hall, in schools and in the podcast. Our client's ambition was clear: every young person in Hanau should know what happened here in twenty minutes 80 years ago — and why it must never happen again."
