Several German business associations and the online retailer Amazon have recently launched the new communications campaign Echt Fake (‘real fake’). It is primarily aimed at young people from the so-called Generation Z. The German Brands Association (Markenverband), which is involved in the initiative, said in late April that the campaign on social media was intended to draw attention to the dangers to health and the environment. The campaign was also aimed at motivating young people to question the low prices of counterfeit products and their origin.
The recently launched communications campaign features posts on Instagram. In addition, a campaign website (German language) provides further information on counterfeiting and offers a quiz that can encourage people to participate.
One reason for launching the campaign is said to be a report by the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO), which shows a significant increase in the number of infringing goods seized in 2022. Another recently published study by the EUIPO also found that under certain circumstances, many young people find it okay to buy counterfeits. The campaign now aims to counter this and to contribute to a long-term change in the purchasing awareness of Generation Z, according to the German Brands Association.
//„It is high time for this campaign. Because counterfeit brand-name products don’t just harm the brand manufacturers. They are also dangerous for everyone who buys them. That’s why it’s important to inform young people in particular about this.”
Patrick Kammerer, Managing Director, German Brands Association (Markenverband)
The campaign was developed as a joint effort by the German Brands Association together with the German brand protection group Aktionskreis gegen Produkt- und Markenpiraterie (APM), the German e-commerce business association Bundesverband E-Commerce und Versandhandel Deutschland (bevh), the digital association Bitkom, and the online retailer Amazon. The UK Intellectual Property Office (UK IPO) has also launched a similar campaign in late February. Likewise, the UK campaign aims to draw attention to the circumstances in which counterfeits are produced on social media, in order to deter people from buying them.
