A social-first awareness campaign for Germany's largest health insurance company AOK about substantial and modern behavioral addictions. Its insight was based on one truth: We are all addicted.
Design Thinking as a method to develop the core idea of the campaign
In the summer of 2024, AOK brought a topic into public discourse that affects all of us, yet is rarely talked about openly: our addiction to substantial drugs,
but also the subtle, often unconscious dependencies of our digital lives from smartphones and social feeds to online shopping and gaming. With “We Are All Addicted”,
a new narrative was introduced: moving away from moral warnings and toward honest self-reflection.
The challenge was clear: how do you make a topic relevant that everyone recognizes, but hardly anyone speaks about? The answer wasn’t found in lecturing messages,
but in moments of identification: short, surprising stories that take place exactly where digital behavior and real life overlap.
As Creative Director of this campaign, I developed the core idea in a Design Thinking workshop with which TLGG won the pitch for AOK in 2023. While I asked the
workshop participants what their addiction was, we realized that every one of us has had some kind of experience with it and also knows someone who feels the same
way. That confirmed our approach.
Gen Z as an essential part of an authentic and also user-generated storytelling
Our concept didn’t confine the topic to classic advertising formats, but placed it directly into the digital environments of the target audience Gen Z.
“We Are All Addicted” was told consistently where attention actually happens: on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Not as a traditional campaign, but as
an ongoing, continuously evolving story.
In short, playful videos, we portrayed everyday situations in which habits subtly but noticeably take control of our behavior. No raised finger, rather
an invitation to think “Oh wow, that’s me.” These social-first contents were strategically planned, managed, and optimized across channels to create
genuine interaction, not just reach. Alongside visibility in social feeds, a content platform was developed to deepen the topic, offering background
information, self-tests, and practical, easy-to-apply impulses. This turned awareness into tangible support without preaching, but with the goal of
enabling more conscious behavior.
“We Are All Addicted” deliberately avoided finger-pointing messaging. The campaign relied on surprising insights and everyday moments that reach people where they actually live and communicate. Its intention was to transform awareness into living dialogue, not only about people, but with them.
Making preventive back training accessible through expert guidance and YouTube-first storytelling
In addition to campaigns I was creatively involved in the development of AOK services like the Back Trainer, together with Patricio Escher and the team at AOK.
The goal of this digital health format was to make preventive back training accessible, motivating, and easy to integrate into everyday life, especially for people
who might otherwise struggle to maintain a regular routine.
The central challenge lay in translating medically sound, expert-led exercises into a digital experience that feels approachable rather than just instructional.
Instead of clinical explanations, the focus was on clarity, rhythm, and encouragement: exercises that are easy to follow, clearly demonstrated, and adaptable to
different fitness levels, while still being medically correct.
A key pillar of the Back Trainer was YouTube as a primary distribution channel. Video allowed the exercises to be communicated in the most intuitive way through
movement, timing, and direct guidance. It enabled longer-form, structured training sessions that users could return to repeatedly, positioning the Back Trainer
not just as a one-off content piece, but as an ongoing companion for healthy movement.
Through strategically combining of social platforms and AOK's owned media, we created an interconnected ecosystem where awareness, education and engagement reinforced each other.
Connecting preventive health topics into conversations across channels
The AOK’s communication ecosystem intentionally links a range of health-relevant topics to create continuity across disease prevention, awareness and
everyday wellbeing. One key example is the “Tag der Krebsvorsorge” (Cancer Screening Day) initiative, jointly established by the AOK and The German Cancer Society
to raise awareness about the importance of early cancer detection and preventive screenings such as HPV vaccination, skin checks and mammography.
This annual health day isn’t treated as a standalone event. It’s embedded within AOK’s broader content strategy across platforms. On Instagram, the campaign
is amplified through channels like "Bodycheck"", which explores living a healthier life by demystifying the human body and preventive health and "Wahnsinn
Familie"", which engages audiences around everyday family life and wellbeing. Together they combine local and Germany-wide activities.
Shaping a unified health narrative for all target groups: digital and anlog
By interconnecting these formats, AOK transforms single-topic activations into a sustained conversation about health. Insights about cancer screening
flow into ongoing education on Bodycheck, where followers learn practical health tips and into Wahnsinn Familie, where health topics are shared in the
context of daily routines and community engagement. This multi-channel approach ensures that preventive health messages, from digital addiction awareness
to back training to cancer screening, are present in the moments people already spend on Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, fostering a continuous
and relatable dialogue about living healthier lives. This ecosystem was further strengthened by linking the digital communication with analog touchpoints
such as the AOK magazine, extending the conversation beyond screens and into everyday life.
My team at TLGG and I were responsible for developing and managing the content across these channels, ensuring consistency, relevance and a strong creative
throughline throughout the entire ecosystem.
By connecting social platforms, owned digital channels and analog media, we created a holistic health communication ecosystem that turned individual campaigns into a continuous, relatable dialogue by guiding people toward healthier everyday decisions.
