Out-of-Home & Ambient

The 2 Euro T-Shirt – A Social Experiment

With the aim of drawing consumer attention to the inhumane work conditions in the textile production industry, a social activation campaign was launched as part of the Fashion Revolution Day. As such, an attention-grabbing turquoise-coloured T-shirt vending machine was built and placed on Berlin Alexanderplatz in Germany. The teaser was a T-shirt for only 2 euros. On inserting the coin into the machine, the display showed a 20 seconds long video with nightmarish images showing the conditions under which textiles are often produced. Potential customers were then given a “Buy” or “Donate” choice on the display, meaning they could choose between buying the T-shirt or donating the inserted money. About 90 per cent of all people who had wanted to buy a T-shirt cheaply at the vending machine ended up deciding against the purchase. The results of the experiment were documented in a video, which sparked a big discussion amidst consumers and between consumers and producers.

Statement by the Jury

This campaign manages to emotionally touch people, who at first only thought about grabbing a bargain, and then to make them reconsider. Particularly noteworthy is that the campaign did not stop there, but the video documentation was shared and thus contributed to the multiplication of the momentum via social media. Thus, this one-off campaign generated high awareness of a grave social concern.

Red Dot: Grand Prix