How INGO Hacked 'Brainrot Culture' to Engage Gen Z for Deutsche Telekom

It feels like an incredible fever dream: musician and DJ VTSS is being chased by doppelgangers in a weird corporate office. But this isn't a dream -- it's a campaign for Deutsche Telekom. The international project, titled #OwnYourWorld, was developed by boutique agency INGO as part of a five-year initiative to promote internet safety for gen z.

The brief was to create something truly relevant for a younger generation by tackling the issue of digital doppelgangers. The result was a wildly successful social media campaign that garnered thousands of views.

Reaching an 'Anti-Corporation' Generation

From the start, it was clear that connecting with gen z was at the core of this campaign. Daniel (Dan) Fisher, INGO's global chief creative officer, knew the ad had to be authentic to how this generation consumes media. "They are a generation that is doing things differently, rewriting the rules, and they are sort of rejecting advertising," he says. "We needed to show the issue in a way which is relevant to them."

After exploring different ideas, the team landed on the powerful metaphor of digital doppelgangers. Deutsche Telekom fully supported the concept. "Not many clients would take that leap of faith," Dan notes.

Cultural references played a huge role in the creative process. "What really struck a chord with the client was us showing examples of Charli XCX," Dan says. "Her album ‘Brat’ was a masterclass in engaging gen z. It was also quite open-source, specifically in how she invited consumers in and let her audience run with it."

That sonic influence is palpable in the quirky videos. INGO's executive creative directors Anna Salonen and Hanna Stenwall say the director duo Shadrinsky's "creative approach" and "sonic identity by VTSS and Charli XCX-producer Hudson Mohawke" perfectly matched the internet vibe of gen z. "We hacked 'brainrot culture' to educate gen z in online privacy through social and culturally-first storytelling."

Dan adds that using music from VTSS and Hudson also made the campaign feel more authentic. "We knew it would buy us more credibility with this audience, who are sort of anti-advertising, anti-big corporations. We needed to play harder than maybe a fashion house or a music label would."

The ECDs, Anna and Hanna, emphasise that it was crucial not to simply replicate current pop culture trends. "We avoided 'meme-jacking', " they say. "It needs to feel culturally familiar, but you need to bring something to the table. Focusing on digital doppelgangers was always the anchor, but the execution and story were ever-changing."

"It's more about having a POV – adding to and challenging the pop cultural discourse instead of cluttering it like a single-minded donkey," they add.

Educating Gen Z

The campaign has two layers: the aesthetic videos raising awareness for digital doppelgangers, and a series of masterclasses teaching the audience about the issue. The masterclasses were a crucial addition, as Dan explains: "You have to do something to have a meaningful impact. So we can't just talk about it, just raise awareness, and then say, 'Off you go.' We have to educate in that space as well."

Educating the younger generation in a language they understand was paramount. Dan explains that Deutsche Telekom values digital optimism. "We looked at how digital identity is a growing thing, and it's not something that's been massively spoken about yet." Since gen z was born into a digital world, the team wanted to raise awareness in a way that felt natural to their media consumption. "At its core, we wanted it to feel more like a public service and less like advertising."

Filming Without a Production Company

The directors, Yulya Shadrinsky and Marita Gurcciani, are known for their provocative lo-fi style in viral videos for brands like Marc Jacobs and Jean Paul Gaultier. After seeing their work, Dan's team knew they had to get "the masters of virality" on board.

Another significant challenge was the fast-paced nature of social media. The ECDs, Anna and Hanna, say, "Social moves at the speed of a scroll. We had to ensure the creative remained culturally relevant until the day it was posted. Every day is a full-body workout, basically."

The creative process with the directors was highly collaborative. INGO wanted to nod to the popular CCTV style, as "there is a lot of fandom for that kind of thing."

In an ambitious move, INGO decided to produce the campaign independently, without a large production company. "It was all a rollercoaster in terms of the creative execution," Dan says. "We built a production unit around the director duo, featuring a massive production in Slovenia that included horses and hundreds of doppelgangers." He laughs, "Yes, we didn’t have the safety net we would usually have with a production company, but we also got more freedom and more control."

Read more from LBB's Aysun Bora here.

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