RB LEIPZIG: JERSEY LAUNCH OVERNIGHT
RB Leipzig
/ OVERVIEW
Guerrilla action transforms Leipzig's cultural icons into RB fans – creating maximum buzz.
SOOH WHAT
After the football season is before the football season. And that means: new jerseys. Not just for players, but for fans too. RB Leipzig faced a classic challenge: How do you launch a new jersey in a way that gets the whole city talking? Traditional launches – press conferences, social media posts, shop window displays – quickly fade into the noise of the summer break.
RB Leipzig wanted something different: Create real momentum to hype Leipzigers for the new season. The message shouldn’t just land on social media, but directly in the cityscape.
The objectives were clear:
- Maximum buzz in Leipzig – the city should talk about nothing else
- Media echo far beyond Leipzig – from regional to national
- Social media engagement – organic distribution through the community
The action took place ahead of the 2017/2018 Bundesliga season – The timeline? As always: preferably yesterday.
SOOH SPECIAL
/ STRATEGY
SOOH WHY?
Our strategic approach: If you want the city to talk about you, you have to make the city itself the stage. Leipzig is proud of its history – Goethe, Bach, Leibniz, Wagner, Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Hahnemann, Thaer, Mendebrunnen. These cultural icons are part of the city’s identity. And that’s exactly where we started.
The insight: For many Leipzig residents, RB Leipzig was still the “newcomer” – a brand where tradition meets modern football. So why not stage exactly this tension? By literally putting Leipzig’s greatest historical figures in RB jerseys, we created a visual bridge between tradition and present.
The choice of statues was strategic:
- High-traffic locations – Zoo, Augustusplatz, Thomaskirche, Naschmarkt, Unicampus Leibniz-Forum, Goerdelerring
- Symbolic significance – each statue represents a part of Leipzig’s identity
- Maximum visibility – the statues are daily landmarks for thousands of Leipzig residents
Only the statue at the Zoo was authorized. The rest? Pure guerrilla. We knew: Maximum impact sometimes requires the courage to bend the rules a little.
SOOH SPECIAL
/ EXECUTION
SOOH HOW?
Overnight, we transformed eight of Leipzig’s most famous statues into RB fans. Sounds simple? It wasn’t.
Phase 1:
Reconnaissance
As a duo, we went through Leipzig at night and measured the statues. With measuring tape, flashlight, and a healthy dose of adrenaline. Each statue has different proportions – unlike Goethe, Bach was significantly more chubby. The measurements went directly to our tailors, who then produced the custom-made XXL jerseys.
Phase 2:
The technical solution
The challenge: How do you dress a bronze statue in record time? Our solution: jerseys with velcro strips on the sides. This allowed us to put the jerseys on quickly, without complicated constructions or hours of fumbling.
Phase 3:
The night operation
In a coordinated lightning action, we – two people plus a content creator – dressed all eight statues in one night. Under the radar, under time pressure, but with maximum precision. Each statue got its perfectly fitted RB jersey.
Phase 4:
The day after
The next morning, Leipzig awoke – and was amazed. While RB fans and most of the city celebrated the action, there were also some cultural preservationists who didn’t find it funny and called the police. During the day, the police removed the jerseys – all except the authorized statue at the Zoo. The jerseys were initially confiscated, but later returned. And even though we got our knuckles rapped: it wasn’t just the RB fans who loved it.
SOOH SPECIAL
/ RESULTS
SOOH WOW!
The action exploded – exactly as planned.
Real Life Impact:
Eight iconic locations in the heart of Leipzig – impossible to miss. Passersby were stunned the next morning: Bach, Goethe, Leibniz, Wagner, Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Hahnemann, Thaer and the Mendebrunnen in the new RB kit. RB fans celebrated the action, and the city talked about nothing else.
Media & Social Buzz:
- Media coverage in Leipziger BILD (print 27,586 copies; online 126k readers)
- Video on social media reached over 50k views in one day and 1.5k reactions
- More than 2 million people reached via social media
- Massive press coverage from local to national
The social finale:
After their return, the XXL jerseys were auctioned for a good cause – one fetched 1,250 euros for the benefit of Leipzig Children’s University Hospital. Guerrilla marketing became social impact.
The biggest win? We proved: Sometimes you have to cross boundaries to be unforgettable. The action gave RB Leipzig exactly the momentum they wanted – and Leipzig had a story that would be told for a long time to come.