Let's take a look at the history and at the current situation of advertising in Czechia's neighbouring country where each person spends an average of 195 minutes a day watching television, and where news leads the list of television genres, followed by sports and travel programmes.
A look into the history
The beginning of regular German television broadcasting dates back to 70 years ago. On 25 December 1952, the first German television station, NWDR, began broadcasting. At the time, only a few hundred households could boast a TV set, but just three years later, 100,000 Germans were watching TV, and the million mark was reached in 1957. The very first TV commercial was broadcast in 1956. The most interesting thing about this first-ever Persil detergent spot is that the theme of the "stained" tablecloth apparently never got old for drugstore advertisers, so its variations are still used with great success today. Bavarian comedian Beppo Brem starred in the first German commercial.
This ad launched the golden age of television advertising. Television became the absolute hit for German advertisers. It was the surest way to reach a wide audience, had a standard high return on investment and a disproportionately higher effect than any other medium.
The present day, marked by the transition to connected tv
As is the case in the UK, public service television stations in Germany, funded by licence fees, have a significant share of the media market. In 2022, TV dominated the top spot with 46%, 32 percentage points more than what the second largest media - newspapers and magazines - boast. This sets Germany significantly apart from other mature advertising markets, where TV has long since been dethroned by internet advertising. German advertisers have long relied primarily on television and seemed not particularly willing to shift advertising budgets to digital media.
However, according to a long-term study by ARD, there has been a clear decline in viewing of conventional TV, especially among children and young people. Relatively stable figures are only recorded for those over 50.
In a similar vein, the results of a 2021 study by Magnite showed that CTV users from German-speaking countries are significantly more likely (217%) to buy a product after seeing CTV on their device than users of other advertising.
This was confirmed by the brand that for many years was the epitome of classic TV advertising. In fact, Warsteiner beer has become particularly well-known in connection with TV spots during football matches. In 2020, however, the brand has embraced new digital technology and has prepared a campaign on CTV in collaboration with Mediaplus and Samsung. This was shown via Samsung smart TVs only to viewers who had not yet seen the beer brand's spots on linear TV. The result of this campaign was clear: Warsteiner achieved a remarkable 21% increase in reach. The brand is thus a good example for other - not only German - marketers who have not yet ventured into new waters.
Favourites in German advertising? It has to be the athletes!
Podle studie MediaAnalyzer jsou v Německu dokonalými reklamními ambasadory známí sportovci. Údajně dokonce, pokud jde o důvěryhodnost, předčí i celebrity typu George Cloonyho a Brada Pitta. Jako vůbec první sportovec se v německé televizní reklamě objevil v roce 1966 německý fotbalista (později trenér a manažer) Franz Beckenbauer, který ve spotu vychvaloval polévku Knorr. Říká se, že toto reklamní dílko bylo matkou všech sportovních reklam.
According to a study by MediaAnalyzer, the perfect advertising ambassadors in Germany are well-known athletes. Reportedly, they even surpass celebrities like George Clooney and Brad Pitt when it comes to credibility. The first athlete ever to appear in a German TV commercial was the German footballer (later coach and manager) Franz Beckenbauer in 1966, who praised Knorr soup in an advertising spot. It is said that this commercial was the mother of all sports commercials.
Another athlete who has been heavily cast in ads for a long time is Boris Becker, the world tennis legend. He's done a number of commercials where, for example, he enthusiastically licks breakfast knives or lures viewers to online poker. His really big success came in 1999 when he became the face of an AOL ad campaign. Ralf Schumacher, for a change, sipped on mineral water and Steffi Graff was keen on Teekanne's herbal teas. And the entire national football team even appears in a Nutella commercial.
According to a survey by Innofact published on statista.com, former footballer Bastian Schweinsteiger was the most perceived celebrity in advertising (i.e. the personality noticed by the most respondents) in Germany in 2022. This was followed by music producer Dieter Bohlen (approximately 6 percent) and then Boris Becker (approximately 3.7 percent). Other celebrities appearing in ads in 2022 include former German footballer and current coach Jürgen Klopp, top model Heidi Klum, former German national football team coach Joachim Löw, Polish football striker, Robert Lewandowski, TV presenter and actress Palina Rojinski, former German football goalkeeper Oliver Kahn, former German professional basketball player Dirk Nowitzki and German footballer Thomas Müller. The predominance of athletes in German commercials is therefore quite clear.
The close relationship Germans have with sport is also linked to the advertisements during important sporting events. Viewers are much more receptive to advertisements during television broadcasts of sporting events than when watching films or news. For advertisers, this means that they have a unique opportunity to take advantage of viewers' passionate disposition and present them with quality sales arguments. Major German sporting events undoubtedly include the Grand Prix, one of the oldest Formula 1 races, the Tour de Germany cycling race, the German Open tennis tournament or even the Berlin Marathon. Advertising during the Formula 1 broadcast, which is the most attractive airtime, costs approximately EUR 150 000.
German humour is simply... German
"A German joke is nothing to laugh at," Mark Twain once reportedly said. Criticism of German humour has not abated since then. In 2016, for example, the British Economist earned considerable attention for a lengthy article, "Being German is no laughing matter," which relied on Twain's thesis. At the heart of the article was the speculation that Germans don't understand irony. This, of course, is not true at all. The proof is the German Humour Institute, which has been providing Germans with serious protection in matters of irony since 2005.
It is therefore not surprising that there are humorous German advertisements, such as Lidl's 'Teuer Bezahlt'. The 2022 ad builds a story around the disappearance of Martin U., who went to the store to pick up some goods on sale.
Another example that Germans are no strangers to humour is Netto Marken-Discount's light-hearted "Netto Katzen" ad, which combines two tried-and-tested factors: humour and animals.
Serious social themes are also a motif in Christmas campaigns
According to Meedia magazine, Penny, Netto, Kaufland, Lidl, Edeka and Otto in particular use the festive season to air their commercials.
One of the most unforgettable Christmas spots is undoubtedly Edeka's 'Heimkommen' advert, based on the story of an old man who sends his children his own obituary to get them to sit at one table at Christmas.
Last year's Penny Christmas campaign should not be forgotten either. The powerfully emotional Christmas film, entitled 'Der Riss', is set in an ordinary block of flats. Every conflict and disagreement manifests itself in cracks and fissures in the walls, doors and elevator. The key moment is when a boy walks up to his neighbour, with whom he was arguing in the underground garage only a few minutes before, and says: "Can we talk?"
According to a statement from Serviceplan, this powerful film "addresses the fissures that are increasingly appearing in our society and urges us to return to open dialogue".
The Penny Christmas ad "The Wunsch" or "The Wish" (2021), which took home the Grand Prix award at the 2022 Cannes Lions World Festival, also had a serious theme:
The last ad we will recall here, while not Christmas-themed, also addresses a social theme. In 2022, Deutsche Telekom launched the excellent "Gemeinsam #GegenHassImNetz" ad, which combats hate on the internet.
Germans take social issues extremely seriously. This naturally extends to the protection of children. The German government is currently working intensively on a bill to restrict advertising of 'unhealthy' food aimed at children under 14. If the law were to pass, these advertising spots would not be allowed to be broadcast on television from 6:00 to 23:00. Not only sweets, but also sugary drinks and crisps should disappear from advertising and the inclusion of high-fat products is also being considered.
Finally, some figures on German television advertising
- The gross income from TV advertising in Germany in May 2023 was about €1.3 billion, which - compared to March 2023 - represents an increase of €60 million.
- The top spot among the advertisers with the largest increase in TV advertising expenditure in Germany in 2022 was occupied by Ferrero International S.A., which recorded an increase in TV advertising expenditure of €49.9 million between January and September 2022 compared to the same period of the previous year. Overall, it invested €454.1 million in TV advertising in the first nine months of 2022.
- In terms of TV advertising revenue in Germany 2022 according to marketers, 7one ranked first with revenue of €6.31 billion. It was followed by Ad Alliance (€6.22bn) and Discovery (€1.06bn).
- The top sector with the highest TV ad spend in Germany in 2022 is the food industry, followed by the personal care, services, pharmaceuticals, retail and telecommunications sectors.
- Germany ranks fifth in the global ranking of advertising spending in 2023.
Next stop will be...
The next country on our round-the-world tour of TV advertising will be a country whose TV commercials the average Czech would probably describe as eccentric or even "wacky". There's something to it. Japanese commercials are much more lively and full of ideas for our taste. But there are other limitations. Did you know, for example, that the Japanese called for a ban on a TV spot that offended them because it featured the petting of an animated turtle? Well, different country, different morals. And it’s this country that we'll look into next time. Practice your polite bow, remember that animated turtles are not to be petted - and off we go!
