The Frauenticket (Women’s Ticket) is the first women's transportation ticket created to highlight the 21% gender pay gap in Germany. The tickets allowed women to travel for 21% less on Equal Pay Day and were available from over 600 touchpoints across Berlin. The action exposed the inequality in Germany by giving a group of people an advantage based on their gender. The initiative received considerable media attention in Germany driving a 3,600% increase in sales. But awareness alone won't close the gap - that’s why BVG used the opportunity to offer women careers with equal pay for equal work.

The German Federal Bureau of Statistics reports that Germany has a gender pay gap of 21% - the second largest in Europe. Few people observe the annual Equal Pay Day and awareness of the 21% pay gap is low. Equal Pay Day has been around since 1988 but has always achieved very low visibility because it falls just after Women's Day. Traditionally, Equal Pay Day receives very little attention and media coverage.

BVG stands firmly for equality - so the company wanted to use its media power and influence to raise awareness around Equal Pay Day and to highlight to the 21% gender pay gap. BVG wanted to use March 18th to speak out against inequality and stand up for women's rights - drawing attention to its strict corporate policy of equal pay for equal work.

BVG created the Frauenticket or ‘Women’s Ticket’ - the world’s first women's public transportation ticket created to highlight the gender pay gap. The Women’s Ticket allowed Berlin women to travel for 21% less and was available from over 600 ticket machines across the city on Equal Pay Day. BVG placed a targeted recruitment message on the payment receipt of the Women’s Ticket - encouraging women to apply for a career with equal pay for equal work at careers.bvg.de

BVG wanted to take a stand for fairness and equality, building brand image and consideration amongst women as a potential employer. BVG sought to achieve this by addressing a sensitive and vital issue affecting German women: the 21% gender pay gap. The Women's Ticket was a platform to show the inequality in Germany by giving a group of people a distinct financial advantage based on their gender. BVG aimed to stand up for women's rights and drive awareness around this inequality and then provide the ultimate solution: equal pay for equal work. By announcing its strict equal pay policies, BVG would stand as an example to other businesses to address imbalances and close the gender pay gap once and for all.

In the week before Equal Pay Day, BVG announced the Women's Ticket and the 21% discount for women on March 18th. The launch communication reached commuters across the Berlin transit network via posters, billboards, platform signage, and digital screens inside busses, trams and trains. This was supplemented by a press release, radio spot, website and paid social ads. On March 18th, BVG brought the Women's Ticket to 600+ ticket machines across Berlin and unveiled a specially modified 'Women's Ticket Machine' inside Berlin's busiest subway station. The machine used gender recognition technology to identify women and offer a full range of 21% discounted tickets - including yearly tickets with savings of 160 euros. The Women's Ticket payment receipt carried a targeted message: "Instead of paying 21% less - earn 21% more". - encouraging Berlin women to apply for a career at BVG with guaranteed equal pay at careers.bvg.de

The BVG Women's Ticket story brought Equal Pay Day onto the evening news of every German broadcaster on March 18th. The initiative sparked a discussion on gender equality and equal pay all over the world.

- Over 1,500 articles and reports

- Featured in 66 TV news broadcasts in Europe

- 6.7 billion media contacts

- 107 equivalent million media value

- Ticket sales increased by 3,600%

- March 18th search queries for 'Equal Pay' on Google.de increased by 1,900% compared to previous years on Equal Pay Day.

(source: Google Trends, BVG, media tracking by Argus Data Insights)