Rights Against the Right (case study) - Laut Gegen Nazis, Laut gegen Nazis e.V. | Clapboard Ad Archive

Rights Against the Right for Laut gegen Nazis, developed by Jung von Matt in 2024, reimagines the fight against right-wing extremism in Germany’s public service sector by transforming trademark law into a potent weapon against hate. Long accustomed to circumventing bans with coded abbreviations on merchandise — HKNKRZ, HTLR, VTRLND — extremist groups not only propagated racist ideology under the legal radar but built critical revenue streams around this merchandise distribution. The campaign’s central conceit was audacious and surgical: acquire the exclusive trademark rights to these exact Nazi codes at the European Trademark Office, then use those legal rights to force Nazi shops to destroy infringing stock and open the door to compensation claims for each sale. By identifying that legislative efforts and censorship had failed to stem the coded spread, Jung von Matt’s approach both closed a regulatory gap and addressed the financial engine powering hate, reframing the debate as one of legal ownership and economic disruption rather than symbolic protest. Earning global press coverage and more than 2.2 billion media impressions without a paid budget, Rights Against the Right triggered a 630 percent spike in online searches for both the NGO and the coded language of hate, culminating in 117 million online users reached and an extraordinary 687 percent increase in donations — a reversal notable not just for the numbers, but for coming amidst a general 30 percent downturn in German charitable giving overall. Press and public engagement were further boosted by coverage from leading news authorities like Süddeutsche Zeitung, SPIEGEL, STERN, ZDF, and a headline-dominating episode on Apokalypse & Filterkaffee, all of which amplified the campaign’s signalling power and reshaped how German society understands the mechanics of modern extremism. What Clapboard’s taxonomy would classify as FORMAT#2—Show the Problem, this campaign excelled by highlighting first the hidden, insidious problem of Nazi code proliferation then introducing its legal hack as a definitive, actionable solution, turning the law itself into both product and message, and making the audience complicit in the broader defeat of hate merchandising through viral awareness and support. Industry recognition followed at the Cannes Lions 2024 with Silver in Direct and Creative Strategy, Bronze in Brand Experience, PR, and Sustainable Development Goals, and a Titanium shortlist for the audacity and clarity of its approach; the effort earns 86/100 in Clapboard’s global creative archive. For an industry often accused of surface-level activism, Rights Against the Right signals a new model for social impact campaigns, where legal creativity and sharp communication force meaningful real-world consequences for those who trade in hate.