Out-of-Office-Reply
TBWA Germany
Issue 1 | July 2008
Agency
TBWA Germany
Creative Team
Stefan Schmidt - Creative Director;Kurt Georg Dieckert - Creative Director
Production Team
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Other Credits
Stefan Schmidt - Idea;Everybody at TBWA Germany - Writers
Date
2006
Background
Being a company of 500 people, TBWA\ Germany sends out more than 1.5 million out-of-office replies every year. So they thought, why not turn these routine, machine-generated emails into a great new media channel?
Idea
They decided to use these out-of-office replies to tell interesting stories, stories that generate awareness for their own company, the brands that they work for, and in addition, create a closeness with the email recipients by allowing them to participate in the sender’s life. Examples of emails include: ‘Thank you for sending me an e-mail. I am not in the office at the moment. In urgent cases, ring me on my Siemens SX65 +49 172 80 80 901. If I am not answering right away, I am driving around in my new Nissan Patrol or drinking some Teekanne Tea. Thank you.’ Another said, ‘…I am on vacation right now, enjoying the latest edition of Monopol magazine on the beach in Miami or just hanging out with an Absolut Vodka at the shore club. If you are in rainy Europe, just use some NIVEA Sun selftanning lotion.’ Or, ‘…If I am not answering right away, I am most likely with TBWA people at our New York office or running in my new adidas_1 shoes through Central Park listening to my favourite tunes on my iPod.’
Results
Feedback has been fantastic, with clients and friends (and other out-of-office recipients) telling the agency what a great idea this is.