I will admit I did not know much about the differences between East and West Germany before this trip. Sure, I knew about communism vs. capitalism, but I incorrectly assumed that both cultures had similar values. I found out that easterners and westerners have started to assimilate, but there are still core differences. Fritzsch and Mackat laid out these differences effectively.
East Germans have more “traditional” values like the importance of family, safety and concern for the common good; Westerners value individuality and freedom. However, over the past 20 years both cultures have adopted values from each other. Today, Germans are family and self-centered, adventurous and safety obsessed, freedom-loving and dutiful.
The most interesting part of the presentation was the finding that East Germans have influenced West Germans more. Therefore, an effective campaign is a campaign that uses East German values, because these values resonate more with both groups. We were given multiple examples of why this is true.
The trip to F and M was a great learning experience. I was surprised because I thought Westerners would have influenced Easterners, as they had more purchasing power initially. Mr. Mackat showed the importance of research over presumptions in advertising.
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Upon taking the research methods course back the J School I questioned the need for so much research. I might have been a bit lazy back then, but the presentation and Fritzsch and Mackat proved how vital research can be. I remember hearing once that research makes a campaign bulletproof. This was very true at FM. The research they discovered was very different than the perceptions of the people.
Although research is often not looked at as the most glorious part of advertising, it is definitely one of the most important parts. A campaign is nothing if there is no strategy behind it. So ad students, learn to love those surveys, focus groups, polls, books and articles. They will become the base of your most succesful campaigns.
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