Ströer stops taking orders for party-political advertising

In recent years, Ströer has facilitated many out-of-home advertising campaigns from across the political spectrum. As well as bookings from all of the political parties represented in the German Bundestag, such as the CDU, SPD, CSU, Die Grünen, AfD, FDP, and Die Linke, for European Parliament elections, Bundestag elections, parliamentary elections in the federal states, and local elections, these included campaigns that were a long way to the left and a long way to the right of the political and social center ground. Examples of such campaigns are bundestag-nazifrei.de and #GrünerMist. However, employees of the Company have faced personal hostility and threats, there have been calls to boycott Ströer, and the Company’s property has been damaged; the perpetrators have had different political and social leanings.

 

We recently received an inquiry with 15 questions from a research organization, including requests for information about standard customer meetings (in this case with the right-wing AfD party) and booking details. It is clear that the questions are designed to create a deliberate and false political association between Ströer and/or individual employees and the AfD. From the Company’s perspective, this has now crossed a line and is unacceptable. Based on these negative experiences during the campaign for the current Bundestag election, the Ströer Board of Management has decided to no longer accept orders for party-political advertising.

 

Ströer is a politically neutral company. Previously, market participants and the general public accepted this neutral service function performed by an out-of-home advertising company as a constructive contribution to political opinion-forming and a functioning democratic election process. Until now, Ströer also saw it as its duty to society to contribute to the functioning free democratic basic order by facilitating party-political communications in the public sphere.

 

However, the public hostility, calls for violence against the Company and its employees, and targeted defamation from perpetrators of various political persuasions that have materialized as a consequence of making advertising space available for election campaigning in return for a fee have gone far beyond what is acceptable. The provision of such services is only possible if it is based on social consensus. There is no such social consensus at present, as recent experience shows.

 

On this basis, the Company can no longer ensure its contribution to political opinion-forming and is withdrawing completely from party-political campaign communications in order to protect the Company and its employees from harm. Until the Bundestag election and beyond, Ströer will reject all orders for party-political advertising from across the political spectrum. Ströer will not resume the distribution of party-political advertising until there is political consensus, which can be achieved at the roundtable with the political parties in the German Bundestag that Ströer has initiated. If, contrary to expectations, it proves impossible to achieve consensus on the placement of party-political advertising, Ströer will adhere to its decision not to facilitate any further party-political advertising.

 

Ströer markets advertising space and is not responsible for the content and design of the actual adverts. As a neutral service provider, it has previously carried out all orders for party-political advertising (provided that it did not contain any illegal content), even when the political views expressed in the adverts were not shared by the decision-makers at Ströer. The duty to remain neutral meant that all adverts were placed as long as they were legally permissible. Ströer did not and does not censor any content.

 

As an out-of-home advertising service provider, the Company has to presume that funding for customer orders was obtained legally. Ströer is neither authorized nor organizationally able to ask agents to disclose their channels and methods of funding nor to inspect these. The Company has to presume that party-political advertising complies with the legal requirements and transparency rules of the German Bundestag. This has to be verified solely by the responsible bodies.

 

 

Disclaimer

This press release contains “forward looking statements” regarding Ströer SE & Co. KGaA (“Ströer”) or the Ströer Group, including opinions, estimates and projections regarding Ströer’s or the Ströer Group’s financial position, business strategy, plans and objectives of management and future operations. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause the actual results, performance or achievements of Ströer or the Ströer Group to be materially different from future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward looking statements. These forward looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and are based on numerous assumptions which may or may not prove to be correct. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is made by Ströer with respect to the fairness, completeness, correctness, reasonableness or accuracy of any information and opinions contained herein. The information in this press release is subject to change without notice, it may be incomplete or condensed, and it may not contain all material information concerning Ströer or the Ströer Group. Ströer undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward looking statements or other information stated herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.