BVDW initiative: Your data has the power to make a difference!
A guest article by Carsten Rasner, Managing Director of the German Association for the Digital Economy (BVDW)
In 2022, the German Association for the Digital Economy (BVDW) launched an association-wide initiative titled “Deine Daten können das!” [Your data has the power to make a difference!] to highlight the benefits of data for advancing the digital transformation and ensuring future viability. Now, in 2024, the campaign is being revived, with the aim of shedding light on data, its usage, and – above all – its benefits.
Data is the foundation of innovations, competitiveness, and a high standard of living
The BVDW is Germany’s advocacy group for companies that operate digital business models or create added value by leveraging digital technologies. On behalf of all our members, we aim to ensure that data is regarded in a more positive light. After all, data makes a vital contribution to the economy and sustainable business models. At the same time, data is incredibly valuable for society as a whole, every individual, and thus our future. Data and its usage have become an integral part of today’s world and therefore play a significant role in every person’s life. However, many people are still too concerned about the use of data and often fail to see the benefits that data offers to society and individuals.
That’s why our initiative is more relevant and topical than ever. Fundamental policy decisions are currently being made in the digital sphere, which will have a huge impact on the use of data – and will therefore also have a lasting effect on the business models of BVDW members. With that in mind, we see it as our responsibility to inform and educate people about data and paint a positive picture of its usage. That’s exactly what the BVDW hopes to achieve with its awareness initiative “Your data has the power to make a difference!”
A key component: an extensive media campaign with assets exploring the topic of data
A central part of the initiative will be a large-scale media campaign across multiple channels and touchpoints. We’re incorporating creative and attention-grabbing messages that address the topic of data and raise awareness about it from a positive angle. As one way of ensuring the visibility of the messages for this campaign, we’re able to draw on the inventories of our members, who make placements available.
“Embrace it!” is the overall message
The campaign’s creative guiding principle is “Lass machen!” [Embrace it!], which is intended as a call to everyone involved as well as society as a whole. The idea behind it is that the insights derived from data can bestow superpowers and make it possible to find solutions to societal problems. The campaign’s visuals play with data streams to show that these are what make up the “big picture”.
A multimedia campaign that encourages a dialogue
This media campaign is the second of its kind. We already ran the first campaign in 2022, where we used display ads and created a landing page containing information about a range of use cases on the topic of data. The campaign ran from October to December 2022. This year’s media campaign doesn’t just focus on static display ads, but also incorporates moving images. We’re also expanding our reach on social media channels to foster direct interaction. So that we can all discuss the results at DMEXCO 2024, our team is working flat out with the agency to complete the final preparations.
Knowledge Base & DATA:matters as additional resources for the initiative
After years of misguided debate, shining a positive light on data, its usage, and benefits is a societal task. For that reason, we’ve not just designed the initiative as a media campaign, but also see it as a wider, ongoing platform comprising a Knowledge Base and interactive formats such as DATA:matters.
The Knowledge Base is the campaign’s landing page and contains best practices, whitepapers, educational material, and much more on the topic of data. We already launched our DATA:matters event format in 2023. In fall 2024, we’ll once again be bringing together decision-makers from politics, the scientific community, civil society, business, and the economy across a range of formats to discuss data, its usage, and benefits.
Your data has the power to make a difference!
Does data mean a lot to you, too? If so, we think that’s great. And it would be even better if you’d like to become one of our supporters so that we can bring about lasting, positive change across the whole of society. Our project manager Irina Schmitz and I look forward to starting a dialogue with you. After all, one thing’s for sure: your data has the power to make a difference on so many levels.
