Bavarian Government Recognizes RTL Campaign

Last Thursday, RTL’s “Sag’s auf Deutsch” ("Say it in German") campaign was awarded the Bavarian government’s "Integrationsbrief" prize at the Bavarian parliament in Munich. RTL Secretary General and Integration Commissioner Thomas Kreyes accepted the award on behalf of Mediengruppe RTL Deutschland. Miriam Pézsa and Björn Klimek of RTL Creation were responsible for the implementation of the campaign. The “Integrationsbrief” is presented annually by the Bavarian government’s integration commissioner to individuals or institutions that have made outstanding contributions to international understanding, intercultural dialog and integration in Bavaria.

"With ‘Sag’s auf Deutsch’ RTL especially reaches the growing demographic of young people with immigrant backgrounds – the very ones who are important for the future," said Martin Neumeyer, a member of the Bavarian State Parliament, explaining why the award went to RTL. "As a channel that mainly appeals to young people, and with prominent migrants who enjoy a high degree of credibility with the target group, RTL is the right medium to make a difference. Because it’s different when we politicians, schools, parents or management say ‘learn German', and when young people hear it form their idols. Then German is no longer a nuisance, but becomes cool."

Peter Kloeppel, RTL Editor-in-Chief and the campaign’s initiator, was also pleased that "we encountered such a positive response with our ‘Sag’s auf Deutsch’ campaign." He said his special thanks go to the celebrities who supported the event with their commitment, as well as to the dedicated team from RTL Creation for the implementation of the spots. "Our viewers’ voluminous feedback also confirms that learning the language is an important prerequisite for successful integration," says Kloeppel. "That's why we want to continue to fulfill our responsibility as a media company, and help shape a cosmopolitan Germany."

RTL’s “Sag’s auf Deutsch” campaign, launched in October 2011, consists of TV spots and print ads featuring ten celebrities from immigrant backgrounds speaking out about the importance of good German language skills for successful integration into society: the Ukrainian boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, the presenters Nazan Eckes ("DSDS," "Explosiv – Weekend"), Nina Moghaddam (RTL, Super RTL) and Kena Amoa ("Exclusiv - Das Starmagazin"), the politician and author Dr. Lale Akgün, the model Sara Nuru, the comedian Bülent Ceylan, actors Erdogan Atalay ("Alarm für Cobra 11") and Francisco Medina ("Alles was zählt") and the singer and dancer Fernanda Brandao. Since 2008, RTL has presented the annual "Com.mit Award" ideas contest for students and young journalists to explore the issue of integration using cinematic means. The next "Com.mit Awards" will be rung out in early 2013