Hamburg launches "Give a Gift of Culture" at Christmas

8 December 2022

Campaign all over social media and Spotify to boost Hamburg's cultural institutions

The Ministry of Culture has launched the "Give a Gift of Culture" (Schenk doch Kultur) campaign in the run-up to Christmas to encourage dwellers of Hamburg to gift culture and help revive the cultural scene this year. Managed by Hamburg Marketing GmbH, this latest campaign comes after the pandemic dealt a severe blow to the sector and losses of some EUR 15.3 billion in 2020 alone, according to the German Ministry of Economics. Several measures, launched across Hamburg in 2021 as part of the successful Summer of Culture, and are now being continued this winter.

Joint social media campaign

"The current Christmas campaign reflects the great unanimity among Hamburg's cultural institutions to promote their offers jointly across the metropolitan region and to leave a lasting mark on the cultural and social atmosphere in the city," said Dr Rolf Strittmatter, Chairman of the Board of Hamburg Marketing GmbH. His comments came as some 30 cultural institutions highlighted the "Give a Gift of Culture" message on their social media channels to coinicide with the first Sunday in Advent. The campaign enhances the perceived attractiveness of Hamburg as a city of culture, Strittmatter added. Commenting on the importance of culture, Jana Schiedek, State Councillor for Culture and Media, stressed: "There is no substitute for shared cultural experiences with family or friends."

Two women in black coats and scarves stand smiling beside a colourful cultural event poster pillar in a city street. — Svenja Holst-Runge and Jana Schiedek present campaign's posters

Giving institutions a voice - raising transparency

"All kinds of playlists on Spotify show the many diverse sounds of Hamburg as a city of culture," said Svenja Holst-Runge, Head of Overarching Hamburg Marketing. Twelve playlists are available on the music streaming platform with more to follow soon. Cultural teams across Hamburg have gone to great lengths to make their institutions audible with hip-hop sounds, classic music and jazz. Posters advertising the campaign can be found all over the city and across the Hamburg Metropolitan Region. Christmas motifs were added to the design of the umbrella brand "Kulturstadt Hamburg" for greater clarity.
nj/sb