Dialogue instead of Heititeiti in front of the logo wall
Berlin without art and hangovers? It's hard to imagine. Especially during the Berlin Art Week, When the city is in a state of creative emergency. Arts and culture are the vibrant heart of the capital, and they attract people from all over the world. But anyone who wanders through the galleries is not the glorified, elite collector who doesn't know where to put his money. (It never was.) They are mostly young, curious people who are looking for new ideas — a target group that is extremely exciting for brands.
From Luxury Branding to a New Culture of Authenticity
When I wrote my thesis on cultural sponsorship almost two decades ago, the world looked completely different. Back then, it was banks and luxury car brands that bought into the art scene with large sums of money in order to place their brand as elegantly as possible next to exclusive works of art. Your target group: high society.
At this point, a big thank you to BMW Group CultureWho have been doing real sponsorship on equal terms for over 50 years and whose insights gave my thesis an immense push. The beverage industry also got involved properly to ensure that the high society at the events was always photographed with champagne glasses in hand. Back then, when I ran my own small gallery on a mini budget, I was more grateful for this high-percentage support than I would like to admit. 😘 Greetings to KMB Creative Network GmbH!
From glossy magazines to user-generated content
But the days when media was limited to glossy and celebrity gossip are gone. Today, the target group is not just a consumer, they have become content creators themselves. The old mechanism — luxury meets art, champagne flows in torrents — that no longer works. Sure, they still exist: the events where a fancy car stands next to a logo wall and “something with art” happens. But honestly, these productions are now more embarrassing than impressive.
Social media as a game changer: From Monologue to Dialogue
Social media has completely turned the sponsorship game upside down. It is no longer a matter of simply displaying brands alongside expensive works of art. It is about dialogue. Dialogue with art, with consumers and — yes, with the brand itself. And that requires courage, because measuring success has become much more difficult. Count clippings? Yesterday's snow. Control over content? You can forget that.
When Courage Is Rewarded: The Foam Machine and Telekom Electronic Beats
But there are bright spots. A perfect example is the exhibition “The Foam Room” by Harry Nuriev, The Ones in the Gallery during Art Week DITTRICH & SCHLECHTRIEM My brother Andre Was opened. A foam machine that addresses how art often degenerates into a pure marketing gimmick. A topic that causes beads of sweat on the forehead of many companies — just not for Telekom Electronic Beats, the branded entertainment format of Deutsche Telekom.
They have been accompanying Depeche Mode for almost 25 years, hosting their own festivals and are now themselves an institution in the music and cultural scene. And what does Telekom Electronic Beats So special? They enter into dialogue — without thrashing at the guests with a magenta club. A small, unobtrusive cube at the buffet is all that's needed. Visitors mention the brand of their own accord in their Instagram stories.
The fleeting moment that remains
Of course, the moment itself is fleeting—as fleeting as a soap bubble. But that is exactly what sets him apart. It is the feeling that lasts, the impression that sticks in. And it is precisely this subtle, fleeting moment that leaves a lasting impression that shapes the brand. Telekom Electronic Beats impressively demonstrates that strong communication and genuine sponsorship on equal footing can persist even in the social media age.
Conclusion: Authentic dialogue instead of hollow presentation
What do we learn from this? The time of shiny logo walls and clumsy brand presentations is over. Today, art and culture do not need luxury brands standing by, but genuine partnerships that focus on dialogue. Brands that have the courage to step back and at the same time create space for creativity win.
The art world and sponsorship have changed — and that's a good thing. Anyone who is able to transform fleeting moments into lasting impressions has not only understood art but also marketing.
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