Key facts
| Brand | Saturn (Media-Saturn group) |
| Start | October 2002, ahead of the Christmas season |
| Slogan | “Geiz ist geil” (“Being stingy is cool”) |
| Strategy | Price attack on the main competitor |
| Ad spend (Adforum case study) | 35 million euros in Germany, 2.3 million euros in Austria |
| Agency | According to Horizont Jung von Matt; sources are not clear on this |
What is it about and how was it made?
The campaign started in October 2002, in time for the important Christmas season. According to an Adforum case study it was a “full frontal price attack” on the main competitor.
The claim “Geiz ist geil” was originally meant as a humorous, exaggerated label for smart shopping. Saturn replaced it with “Geil ist geil” in 2011 and revived it for three weeks in 2015 for its 15th anniversary.
Read the numbers with care
The GWA case report cites a rise in claim awareness from zero to 89 percent within a single campaign flight. That is a figure from the case report. Sources differ on the agency and on the exact start year (2002 according to Adforum/GWA, 2003 in a Horizont text).
What brands can take away (our interpretation)
- A provocative claim can make a price positioning known in a few weeks.
- A claim that becomes a saying is both chance and risk: the brand stays “the cheap one” for a long time.
- Figures from case reports come from those involved. They are guidance, not independent proof.
Planning your own spot? The TV spot production guide explains the process, the agency brief template helps with the commission.
Sources
- GWA Fallbericht (PDF)
- Adforum: Saturn „Geiz ist geil“ Fallstudie
- Horizont: „Geil ist geil“, Saturn verpasst sich neuen Claim
This article only states facts we can substantiate from the sources linked below. The section “What brands can take away” is our own interpretation.