Seven decades had passed since the defeat of Nazi Germany, yet somehow their leader succeeded to break the time barrier, as his beliefs continue to spark debates even today. For the first time since the collapse of the Third Reich and after the copyright held by the Bavarian Land expired, Hitler’s book “Mein Kampf” was republished in January 2016.
Although the new edition includes critical comments regarding the infamous dictator, it generated polemics within the residents of the country that is still haunted by the Nazi past. The decision to bring an up-to-date version of the old publication divided the Jewish community into two sections, some agreeing with the new edition while leaving the other half irritated because of it.
At the same time, the reprint also generated a strong response from Ogilvy & Mather and the nonprofit organization Gesicht Zeigen!, two entities that armed themselves with creativity to fight against this decision.
This week’s #ThrowBrandThursday shows how German citizens were encouraged to stand up against right-wing extremism, through a courageous act carried out by the Berlin-based agency. The creatives revealed a competing book of Hitler’s autobiography on January 18, 2016. Titled “Mein Kampf – Against Racism” (originally ‘Mein Kampf – gegen Rechts’), the book conveys the NGO’s effort to combat Hitler’s extreme ideologies.
The counter book depicts 11 different moving stories of activists who suffered because of xenophobia and intolerance and fought with all their hearts against racism. It features heartbreaking tales narrated by individuals like concentration camp survivor Mosche Dagan, former Afghan child refugee and current MTV host Wana Limar, and granny Irmela Mensah-Schramm, who dedicated decades of her life to removing Nazi graffiti.
The powerful book that came out to balance out Hitler’s own version of victory brings a resemblance of the Chilean bookstore’s initiative to make people discover both sides of history. The Other Side of History campaign suggests that readers study, analyze, and discover the real course of the same historical events explained by authors with different points of view.
Ogilvy’s award-winning initiative generated a huge social buzz, with the agency proclaiming that the book quickly gained the status of a German bestseller. From the proceeds of each of the 11,000 volumes of the book sold, €1 was donated to the NGO. Moreover, the positive project mobilized people to raise “comment against the Nazi manifesto,” reducing the “sentiment ratio of Hitler’s <Mein Kampf> by 12 points in the social web.”
“The possibilities to fight for a humane society – as our book clearly shows it – are diverse,” said Uwe-Karsten Heye, the editor of “Mein Kampf – gegen Recht” and the Chairman of the anti-racism organization.
The association kindly invites readers to share their ‘struggle’ on social media, using the hashtag #MeinKampfGegenRechts. You may want to do so, even as a part of a #ThrowBrandThursday.
Credits:
Project: Mein Kampf – Against Racism
Client: Gesicht Zeigen!
Agency: Ogilvy & Mather Berlin