New posters from the insurance company Smile can currently be seen in train stations and public places. They read: “Saw the chief advertising officer and rammed a bicycle in shock.” The slogan is a direct allusion to the famous, infamous “chief advertising officer” Niclas Matthei. Since the beginning of 2024, he has been on everyone’s lips in Germany because he spends his free time hunting down people who park illegally and reporting them to the authorities (STREETLIFE reported).
But the supposedly funny anecdote is not well received everywhere. The national umbrella organization Pro Velo expressed its outrage at the campaign to Blick. It trivializes traffic accidents, especially those involving cyclists, and shows disrespect for the victims and their families. The poster is tasteless, dangerous, discriminatory and irresponsible. Pro Velo is demanding that Smile “immediately withdraw this poster.”
Insurance refers to sheet metal damage
In response to the excitement over the campaign, the insurance company wrote that it regretted that the advertisement had been misunderstood. It had no intention of trivializing traffic accidents. Smile also did not understand what was discriminatory about the subject matter: “The text says that a bicycle was hit, not a cyclist.”
Damage to the bodywork of parked bicycles and other vehicles accounts for a large proportion of claims in the insurance business. The advertising campaign was intended to address this issue in a humorous way. The public has received “universal approval” for the campaign and its humorous sidelong glances.
