Dangers of Digital Doppelgangers Laid Bare in Anarchic Deutsche Telekom Campaign

Deutsche Telekom has launched a bold new international campaign by the boutique creative network INGO, its first since being appointed by the leading telco in January.

Building on Deutsche Telekom’s five-year legacy of supporting gen z, the #OwnYourWorld campaign aims to drive awareness, spark debate, and empower young people to take back control of their digital identities in an era of digital cloning. It is spearheaded by a surreal, lo-fi music video starring up and coming musician and DJ VTSS, in which the star is pursued by an army of doppelgangers who steal her spotlight and take over her life, vividly dramatising what it can feel like when your online self starts to slip out of your hands and take on a life of its own.

The video was directed by cult Paris-based duo Shadrinsky, known for their provocative and subversive lo-fi viral videos for fashion brands such as Marc Jacobs, Jean Paul Gaultier and MSCHF, whilst the bespoke track, Can’t Catch Me, was the result of a collaboration between VTSS and Charli XCX’s celebrated producer, Hudson Mohawke. The brain rot inspired content from the music video down forms the basis of the campaign’s shorter, more message driven films and memes and is backed by a new digital platform, ownyourworld.online, which houses a series of short, feed-friendly films starring VTSS explaining how your personal data can be duplicated, misused and exploited in ways that are often invisible.

The #OwnYourWorld campaign runs across social, TV, VOD and OOH, and rolls out internationally this week. A live VTSS performance in Vienna kicks off the launch on Weds July 16th, accompanied by the release of the track.

The work was created in response to research by Deutsche Telekom that exposed a pressing need for better education on digital protection among young people, with over 90% of European gen z expressing concerns about their digital privacy. Yet while concern is high, confidence is low: despite growing up online, many feel unequipped to deal with the issue, as less than 7% say they feel very confident managing their data privacy. The research also shows that over 70% of generation z would like more information on self-protection.

VTSS said, “So many of us feel this low-key anxiety about how much of us lives online, and how little control we have over it. This project creatively captures this, holding up a mirror to that experience and hopefully helping people feel seen.”

​Ulrich Klenke, chief brand officer, Deutsche Telekom said, “The ability to own your identity online should be a fundamental right. We know that knowledge is power. That’s why we are providing gen z with the knowledge and confidence they need to ‘turn privacy mode on’ in their digital lives.”

​Daniel Fisher, global chief creative officer of INGO said, “From the moment we first met with Deutsche Telekom, we all agreed that to really resonate with the discerning audience that is gen z, the brand would have to show up differently than it had previously. This brain rot inspired campaign is configured for social media and is about as far away from your typical big corporation ‘ad campaign’ as it is possible to be. I’m still pinching myself that Shadrinsky agreed to make it for us.”