Germany's Deutsche Bahn halts humorous publicity campaign

"Last October, Deutsche Bahn (DB) launched a social media campaign with popular comic Anke Engelke in the main role. We watch Engelke, as train conductor Tina, and her team doing their best to navigate everything from defective doors to blocked toilets and broken-down trains and, at the same time, keep passengers happy. Upon its launch, a senior DB manager, Michael Peterson, called the nine-part series a "humorous declaration of love to the staff." Deutsche Bahn has some 230,000 employees. Engelke's campaign was feted in the trade press for its media reach, too with more than sixty major media organizations reporting on it."

"But plans to continue what was widely regarded as a successful campaign have been abandoned. Deutsche Bahn told Germany's tabloid Bild newspaper that a second season of Boah, Bahn, which roughly translates to Wow, what a railway!, did not "suit the times. Self-irony: a risky strategy for beleaguered Deutsche Bahn Marketing campaigns that use self-irony are risky, according to media and communications scientist Peter Vorderer. But the Mannheim University professor told DW that DB probably had little choice given the company's tarnished reputation. "Do you have a chance of achieving anything except with self-irony when something is so hated across the board in large parts of the population where it has become almost a national pastime to complain about it?", asked Vorderer."

"A month before the series was launched, only some 55% of intercity trains reached their stops on time which DB defines as a delay of less than six minutes. This was the worst monthly timekeeping record since 2024. Getting trains to where they should be at the right time is not DB's only problem. Travelers also complain about a lack of hygiene, dysfunctional washrooms and broken air conditioning."

Last October Deutsche Bahn (DB) launched a nine-part social media campaign starring Anke Engelke as train conductor Tina, portraying staff managing defective doors, blocked toilets and broken-down trains while keeping passengers happy. A senior DB manager called the series a "humorous declaration of love to the staff." The campaign reached over one million clicks within days and attracted coverage from more than sixty major media organizations. Plans for a second season were abandoned after DB told Bild that it did not "suit the times." Media scientist Peter Vorderer said self-irony is risky but may have been necessary given DB's tarnished reputation, while punctuality and hygiene complaints underscore ongoing operational problems.

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