Austrian Climate Minister Leonore Gewessler came up with a divisive marketing strategy last week, which entailed using people’s skin as a moving billboard promoting the nation’s Klimaticket (“Climate Ticket”).
As part of the campaign, which took place over two weekends at music festivals, the first three people to have the words “Klimaticket” permanently tattooed received a free climate ticket, which they could use to take unlimited train, bus, streetcar or subway rides throughout the country for an entire year.
Reportedly, three people took up the ministry’s offer at each of the two events, for a total of six. As reported by the Salzburger Nachrichten, the tattoos were immediately completed at a temporary tattoo shop with the inscription “Action that gets under your skin,” the slogan of One Mobility GmbH, which distributes the climate ticket.
Although the effort received a negative response on social media, One Mobility GmbH’s Managing Director, Jacob Lambert, stated that “the feedback at the festivals was extremely positive.” None of them had their first tattoo”, he said, “it was more like people who already have a few and now have one more.”
He emphasized that only adults can get tattoos and that the offer is only in the early afternoon, not in the evening when people can be expected to be drinking. This was in an effort to defend the validity of the campaign.
“The campaign has been extremely well received by the target group, there are many visitors who want to beautify their bodies with tattoos,” Lambert said.
The annual Climate Ticket typically sells for €1,095 (just over $1,180), or three euros per day. It was introduced in 2021 to encourage Austrians to use sustainable transportation options. According to the source, 245,000 Austrians currently own a climate ticket.