31: THE CREATIVE EFFECTIVENESS AWARD (The Creative Effectiveness Award)
JPG
MP4
2m:02s
Sheep happens - PENNY
Retail
Silver
| Title of Entry: | Sheep happens |
|---|---|
| Brand: | PENNY |
| Product/Service: | Retail |
| Client: | PENNY |
| Entrant Company: | SAINT ELMO´S GERMANY |
| Entrant Company Country: | Germany |
| Creative Team: | Global Chief Creative Officer, Alex Schill, SERVICEPLAN GROUP Chief Creative Officer: Matthias Harbeck, SAINT ELMO´S GERMANY Managing Partner: Christian Sommer, SAINT ELMO´S GERMANY Managing Partner: Peter Gocht, SAINT ELMO´S GERMANY Head of Design: Vinzent Mitterer, SAINT ELMO´S GERMANY Management Supervisor: Alexander Rudzki, SAINT ELMO´S GERMANY Producer: Christoph Köhler, SERVICEPLAN GERMANY Managing Director: Anna Lee Sønnichsen, SAINT ELMO´S GERMANY Art Directors: Niclas Robering, Raphael von Stockar, Martina Kiesbrink, Raquel Vega, SAINT ELMO´S GERMANY Motion Designer: Konstantin Dam-Hansen, SAINT ELMO´S GERMANY CEO: Kathrin Jesse, SAINT ELMO´S GERMANY Senior Copywriter: Rasesh Patkar, Swarna Thomas, Florian Marcus Hofmaier, SAINT ELMO´S GERMANY Creative Director Copy: Petra Schotten, SAINT ELMO´S GERMANY Managing Director: Corbinian Hennies, SAINT ELMO´S GERMANY Creative Director: Dennis Fritz, SERVICEPLAN GROUP Senior Motion Design: Klas Batschkus, SERVICEPLAN GROUP |
| Submission Text: | Context and Brief: PENNY is one of Germany’s most familiar discount supermarkets, rooted in everyday life and known for its long‑standing claim “Erstmal zu PENNY” (First stop, PENNY). At the beginning of the new year, over 50 sheep invaded a PENNY store in Burgsinn, a quiet rural town in Bavaria - an environment strongly associated in Germany with order and predictability. PENNY wanted to use this incident to show the brand’s cultural agility. Idea: Rather than imposing a predictable campaign onto the incident, PENNY embraced the spontaneity and said, “Sheep happens.” PENNY reflected the online behaviour of people when something unexpected happens: watch, joke, question, and participate. Execution: Instead of controlling the narrative, PENNY responded in real time and invited the internet to shape what came next. Humour, curiosity, and spontaneity guided every action, turning the sheep into unexpected protagonists and the audience into co-authors. PENNY reacted immediately, playfully “hiring” the full flock of 700 sheep as ambassadors and sharing real footage of the shepherd receiving a year’s supply of fodder. When users joked that the sheep were saying “Erstmääaäh zu PENNY” - a play on PENNY’s well‑known tagline “Erstmal zu PENNY” (“First stop, PENNY”) - the brand adopted it as the official line, updating profile images, visuals, and copy in real time. The internet wanted to know why the sheep wandered into PENNY. So, an investigative influencer was sent to the scene of the woolly crime to get to the bottom of it. The sheep then invaded PENNY’s social content via product unboxings, memes, and even a music video. Thousands of catalogues and TV offers became sheep‑themed overnight, extending the story beyond social media. To forever mark the occasion, the community voted to rename the Burgsinn store. It is now called PENNY Schafsinn (Sheep-sinn). Results and success: The response was immediate and widespread. - €30 million in Earned Media - +13% revenue for PENNY Burgsinn - +6% revenue for PENNY Germany - +69% brand popularity nationwide With ‘Sheep happens’, PENNY translated a cultural moment into shopping behaviour by involving people from the very first second. As soon as the sheep entered the Burgsinn store, the community was invited to comment, name, share, and shape what happened next. This participation created a sense of ownership: people didn’t just observe the story; they felt part of it. When audiences feel included, they’re more likely to show up where the story continues. That sense of involvement sparked emotional closeness and curiosity, naturally leading people to visit the store and engage with PENNY in real life. |
| Other Credits: | Managing Partner: Pascal Fiedler, Paulina Schumann, charles & charlotte Account Management: Paul Techritz, charles & charlotte Concept: Patricia Trostel, charles & charlotte Content Creation: Anna Mikat, charles & charlotte PR & Consulting: Hans Neubert, charles & charlotte Director Media Strategy: Manuela Krause-Tiemann, PION3ERS Deputy Director Media Strateg: Ann-Christin Mix, PION3ERS Senior Executive Media Strategy: Lisa Siebel, Sonja Frese, PION3ERS Executive Media Strategy: Leonie Glaeske, PION3ERS Lead Creativity & Innovation: Fabienne Krüger, PION3ERS Chief Creative Officer: Johannes Auffermann, ASTRAL Kreativ Managing Partner: Hagen Fiedler, ASTRAL Kreativ Motion Designer & VFX Artist: Nicolai Kovacs, ASTRAL Kreativ Sound Engineer/Audio Director: Oscar Meixner, Markus Roseneck, Hastings Audio Network Producer: Daria Treder, Hastings Audio Network Producer/Composers: Jan Finck Barboza, Robin Überschuß, Camilo Remolina, HOOKED Music Motion Design: Hendrik Sommerfeld |
