We stand against the re-publication of Hitler’s "Mein Kampf" in Germany with an open-minded book: "Mein Kampf – against racism"! Exactly at the same time of publication, with the same title and layout as the original, our counterbook features 11 ¬people and their struggle against racism. With 11,000 books and 11 different covers available in every bookstore and via Amazon we are fighting back – using the tumult around “Mein Kampf”, turning it into a discussion about increasing everyday racism and how to act against it.

Because of our limited budget we had to evoke a strong PR effect. Therefore we developed a provocative physical mailing with Hitler’s face printed on it. It looked like a book delivery of “Mein Kampf”. But by opening it they were tearing Hitler’s face apart and the cover of our book “Mein Kampf – against racism” became visible. Thereby they became an activist, too.

Two weeks before the official booklaunch we sent our Tear-Open-Mailing to 150 journalists and celebrities in order to engage them with our book.

The package they got as a physical mailing looked like a book delivery of Hitler’s “Mein Kampf”. By opening it they were tearing Hitler’s face apart and the cover of our book “Mein Kampf – against racism” became visible. “Thank you for your engagement against racism.”, a line reads.

A personal letter from the publisher called to action: we wanted them to do the next step against racism by sharing their thoughts about the book with the public or share their media time with us.

Our Tear-Open-Mailing activated incredible 38% of the recipients and moved them to do something about the book: they tweeted, posted, filmed, they wrote articles or invited us to their Radio and TV-Shows. With our book we pleasently hit the nerve of time in a Europe moving towards right-wing populism. It became the relevant topic across society.

Only after one month, the book with its campaign is a huge success:

- top15 bestseller on Amazon

- the first edition of 11,000 books nearly sold out

- well attended lectures in bookstores

- a huge social buzz and a media resonance – from frontpage stories in popular newspapers to Thursday night tv-talkshows – led to 53 mio contacts and a gross media-equivalency value of 2.2 mio Euro

- reduced sentiment ratio of Hitler’s "Mein Kampf" by 12 points in social web – that means: people were mobilised to comment against the Nazi manifesto

It’s a provocative mailing, which was the key for us to get journalists and celebrities involved in the campaign.

The book and the campaign should

1. reclaim the conception of the two words “Mein Kampf” from the Nazis

2. create a spectacular trigger for PR and social media to ignite a discussion about the society in Germany currently drifting to the right

3. wake up, inspire and encourage the silent majority in Germany to stand up against increasing racism in everyday life.

And also the mailing for journalists and celebrities should wake up the sleeping struggler in the recipients. As we wanted them to do something that really matters about the book, we had to send it to them physically for a bigger impact. In terms of the costs for such a mailing we were focussing on a small group of precisely selected 150 journalists and celebrities, we knew they were already in contact with the association ”Gesicht Zeigen!” and/or would most probably support the book because of their well-known attitude.

Hitler’s “Mein Kampf“ (My Struggle), the Nazi propaganda book, can be published once again in Germany after its 70-year copyright expired – unleashing a fierce debate in a country struggling against new hate preachers and increasing right-wing extremism.

A strong stand against it was needed – creating awareness for the growing racism and waking up the silent, paralyzed mass of people.

Our client “Gesicht Zeigen! An association encouraging people to stand against racism in Germany“, a non-profit organization with little money, wanted to fight back.