Zalando Launches New “Activists of Optimism” Summer Campaign

• The campaign aims to spread optimism across Europe this summer by giving a stage to real people who turn their optimism into positive action
• Featuring 11 positive activists from across Europe including Dutch influencer and model, Rianne Meijer, and French dancer, Salif Gueye known for their optimistic content creation 
• The campaign will be supported by a 360° marketing initiative, the Festival Of Optimism; a series of pop-up events and visual displays in key markets including France, Italy, Germany and Sweden, culminating in the Longest Day of Optimism on June 21

BERLIN, MAY 25 2021 // Zalando, Europe’s leading online platform for fashion and lifestyle, today launches its new campaign, “Activists of Optimism,” celebrating people who are igniting positivity. Following a year of global lockdowns and restrictions, the campaign aims to celebrate and spread optimism through the simple act of making people smile. You can watch the campaign film here.

Launching May 23 across all Zalando markets, the “Activists of Optimism” campaign is giving people a stage to free their feelings, embrace positivity and spread joy. It is made up of 22 videos of positive action takers, all created as 15 second social shorts, which have then been woven together into a vibrant TV commercial. Accompanying the campaign video are a series of still images of European creators who represent positivity in their own unique way. Individually shot by Spanish-based photographer Jorde Perez Ortiz, each image is overlaid with the bold statement, “Activists of Optimism.” Cast on social media, 11 positive activists including Dutch influencer and model, Rianne Meijer, and French dancer, Salif Gueye, known for their optimistic content creation, bring the campaign to life.

The campaign launch will be supported by a 360° marketing initiative: the “Festival Of Optimism,” which is a series of events and pop-up moments across Europe designed to inspire  people to smile, dance and sing, culminating in a virtual celebration of togetherness on June 21, the longest day of the year.

“After a year of lockdowns, for our 2021 summer campaign, we wanted to celebrate the season of hope and optimism by making people smile and provide them with a stage to express optimism freely,” Ralph Rijks, Zalando’s Vice President of Global Marketing comments. “We define activists of optimism as people who bring joy to others and themselves, whether it is a song, a dance, or an innovative makeup tutorial on Tik Tok, it is these small optimistic acts that connect us and spread joy. The campaign brings to life our 2021 overarching narrative of turning optimism into positive action (for yourself and others) through the joy of living life.”

The casting of the 11 “Activists of Optimism” was done entirely through social media, focused on the creators’ content and activities that portrayed the campaign message, with the reach and size of the creator’s social media platform being secondary. The film features positive and talented creators including dancer, Salif Gueye who is renowned for his upbeat dance style performed on the streets of Paris; Dutch influencer and model, Rianne Meijer who is known for her authentic body confident images on social media; and model and author, Naomi Shimanda who embraces positivity through fashion. 

The upbeat full length TV commercial was shot by London-based director, Lucy Luscombe, who has recently been included in Dazed’s top 100 global creatives and set to the song, “Show Me Love” by Robin S. The campaign will be brought to life across numerous formats: from stills photography by Jorge Perez Ortiz, Digital Out Of Home (DOOH), owned social channels by the diverse cast of this campaign, “positive listening” adverts on Spotify, and wild postering and colourful murals across key markets. The 360° campaign was created in collaboration with creative agency Kolle Rebbe.

Notes to Editors:

*All images have been shot in accordance with government guidelines on COVID-19, specific to each country at the time of capture. All safety measures were put in place on all shoot locations throughout the world to ensure every single person featured was respecting COVID safety measures.