BBDO Has a Close Encounter With the First Extraterrestrial Tourism Campaign

It’s a world premiere: The universe’s first-ever extraterrestrial tourism program was launched on March 24 this year with an invitation for all living creatures in the cosmos to visit the UNESCO biosphere reserve in Entlebuch, between Berne and Lucerne in Switzerland. The invitation is being sent into the endless depths of the universe from the Astropeiler Stockert – a special radio telescope in, Germany. The 24 hour long message was sent by the inhabitants of the Entlebuch – a region of the Lucerne Canton: with this invitation they are reinforcing their pledge that they will preserve the unspoiled natural beauty of their home region for years to come. Accordingly, the people of Entlebuch need have no scruples about inviting guests who might take a little longer to arrive – whether they live just under 250 million kilometers away on Mars or possibly even in the Andromeda galaxy, approximately two million light years distant. This extraordinary campaign for the cosmos was devised by the Düsseldorf advertising agency BBDO Proximity.

The Entlebuch region of central Switzerland with the UNESCO biosphere reserve, which was declared a protected area in 2001, is a popular vacation destination for friends of the earth and for visitors who are simply in search of peace and quiet. The people of Entlebuch are known for their very gentle and sustainable approach to the conservation of nature and culture – and this includes tourism. As Theo Schnider, Director of the UNESCO Biosphere in Entlebuch, explains: “A UNESCO biosphere reserve is our guarantee that the beauty of our valley will be preserved – for 50, for 500 or even for 500,000 years! We are a model UNESCO region for sustainable and resource-conserving living and this development calls for long-term thinking.”

“The campaign highlights the fact that the people of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in Entlebuch are strongly committed to a highly gentle and sustainable approach to nature and culture. This is a key part of the tourism concept and also the basis of our idea,” said Sebastian Hardieck, Creative Director at BBDO Proximity Düsseldorf.

Preparations for the extraterrestrial guests have been under way for months now: this includes setting up landing strips for UFOs. Many of the people in the seven biospheres – local communities, clubs, music and national costume groups, and others – have added their personal invitations to the message which is being transmitted into space in order to introduce the whole universe to alpenhorn players, night yodelers and opera-singing innkeepers.