4 bold German Ads: Humour and Emotion, done differently
Sometimes I show my Scottish friends a German reel that I find hilarious.
Sometimes they laugh.
Most of the time, though, they look at me with an expression somewhere between confusion and concern while I try to explain that yes, it is actually supposed to be funny.
The same goes for German adverts. Having lived and worked between Germany and the UK for years, advertising is one of the areas where I notice the cultural differences most.
And I don’t mean the old cliché that Germans don’t have a sense of humour. We absolutely do. Germans love plenty of British humour. Monty Python, Mr Bean and wonderfully dry British comedy have all found audiences in Germany.
But humour doesn’t always travel equally well in the other direction.
German deadpan can be very deadpan. Something completely ridiculous might be delivered with the linguistic and visual seriousness of an instruction manual. Nobody smiles. Nobody gives you a knowing look. Nobody acknowledges that what’s happening is absurd.
Delivering a joke without a lot of fanfare can make it even funnier to German audiences. And that doesn’t just apply to humour. Emotion, authenticity and even what makes a brand likeable can be coded differently too.
So, rather than attempting to define “German advertising”, here are four German campaigns I love that show just how bold, dry, uncomfortable and weird it can get.
1. HORNBACH: Sag es mit deinem Projekt
Let’s start with one of my favourites from HORNBACH, Germany’s version of B&Q.
A teenage goth walks through a grey suburban neighbourhood that looks completely at odds with her.
When she gets home, she finds her dad painting the entire house black. There’s no big speech or tearful conversation. He simply picks up a paint roller and shows her he’s on her side.
The campaign line was “Sag es mit deinem Projekt”. That loosely translates to “Say it with your project.” HORNBACH described its customers as people who would rather do something than talk about it.
That’s exactly why the ad works. It’s emotional without making a show of being emotional. There are no sentimental speeches or obvious attempts to pull at your heartstrings, yet somehow, a DIY retailer manages to make you want to cry.
For brands entering Germany, there’s a useful lesson here: emotion doesn’t always require smiling people, inspirational copy and an uplifting soundtrack. Sometimes understatement makes the payoff stronger.
Why it works in Germany: It trusts the viewer to feel something without telling them what to feel.
2. EDEKA: Supergeil
And then there is Supergeil. How do you advertise supermarket own-brand products? EDEKA’s answer was to put German performance artist Friedrich Liechtenstein in a suit and have him glide around describing everything as supergeil.
The word geil usually means “cool” or “brilliant”, but it can also have a more suggestive meaning. That double meaning makes an already strange advert even stranger.
Liechtenstein sings from a bathtub, a bed and a car boot, lies across the checkout and strokes products, all while performing with a completely straight face.
Created with Jung von Matt, the 2014 campaign became Germany’s most-viewed YouTube advert of the year, reaching nine million views in Google’s German ranking. For a while, it also seemed as though everyone was saying supergeil.
What makes it work is how fully it commits to the idea. There is no knowing wink to confirm that it is meant to be funny. The advert simply presents something absurd as if it were entirely normal.
That is also where German humour can sometimes lose my friends. British deadpan often gives you a subtle clue that everyone is in on the joke. German humour can be quite happy to put something ridiculous in front of you and leave it there.
Why it works in Germany: It commits fully to the weirdness.
3. BVG: Weil wir dich lieben
Imagine running Berlin's public transport network. People complain about delays. They complain about ticket machines. They complain about other passengers. They complain about you.
BVG could have launched a polished campaign about how much it cared. Instead, it joined in.
The #weilwirdichlieben (because we love you) campaign launched in 2015, inviting Berliners to share their experiences. They responded with plenty of sarcasm, and BVG answered in much the same tone.
Self-irony and “Berliner Schnauze” became central to the brand. Rather than pretending public transport was always pleasant, BVG acknowledged its stranger and more annoying sides.
One of my favourites is “Is mir egal” (I don’t care).
Kazim Akboga had originally released the song in 2014, and it quickly became an internet hit. I remember graduating from high school around that time and hearing people use is mir egal in all sorts of situations.
BVG then turned it into an official campaign. In the video, Akboga sings his way through the U-Bahn while surrounded by football fans, musicians, furniture and even someone on a horse. None of it bothers him.
The exception? Travelling without a ticket.
The video reached more than 22 million views and showed exactly what BVG does well: it doesn’t pretend public transport is perfect. It knows people wouldn’t believe it anyway.
Why it works in Germany: BVG lets people make fun of the brand and is quite happy to return the favour.
4. SIXT: Decades of quick wit
Not all of SIXT’s older advertising has aged well, particularly campaigns built around sexist clichés. At its best, however, the brand has maintained a remarkably consistent voice: quick, topical and not overly concerned with being universally likeable.
SIXT became known for responding to politics, strikes and scandals with short, sharp copy. One of its best-known ads appeared in 2001, showing Angela Merkel with her usual hairstyle followed by a windswept version:
“Lust auf eine neue Frisur? Mieten Sie sich ein Cabrio.” (Fancy a new hairstyle? Rent a convertible)
Merkel hadn’t agreed to appear but reportedly took it in good humour.
More than two decades later, the same approach was still working. When Friedrich Merz failed to become chancellor in the first parliamentary vote in 2025, SIXT responded that day:
“Wenn es im ersten Gang nicht klappt, einfach hochschalten.” (If first gear doesn’t work, simply shift up)
Not every SIXT campaign is political. Its dachshund posters at Hannover Airport make me smile whenever I visit home. But the tone is recognisable: simple idea, confident execution and very little explanation.
Perhaps that is what feels particularly German to me. SIXT doesn’t work too hard to appear warm or universally agreeable. It makes the point and moves on.
Why it works in Germany: The copy is quick, blunt and confident enough not to explain the joke.
So, are German ads really that different?
SIXT responds to the headlines. BVG answers back. HORNBACH paints a house black. EDEKA gets very strange.
Four campaigns can’t represent an entire country’s advertising. Germany has sentimental ads and polished lifestyle campaigns too. But these examples show how differently humour and emotion can be expressed.
It’s something I notice regularly when looking at creative through a German lens. A photograph doesn’t need arms thrown into the air and a best day ever! grin to communicate happiness. Sometimes, someone quietly taking in the view says enough.
Likewise, a joke doesn’t always announce itself as a joke.
That’s where localisation becomes about much more than words. You can translate every line perfectly and still miss what makes an advert work: how a culture uses humour, emotion and authenticity to connect with people.
If you’re considering the German market and would like another perspective on how your brand or campaign might land, that’s something I help with. You can get in touch below:
