German Reunification Day, an event celebrating the reunification of East and West Germany is one of the most significant nationwide holidays. This year’s event with the motto "Open Horizons" is being celebrated in Hamburg. As part of these celebrations, Snapchat is sending a message of diversity, tolerance, and unity - thanks to Augmented Reality (AR).
True to the motto “Open Horizons”, the AR lens empowers the community to display their name, along with the message "I am part of German unity" in the sky with an AR lens. The lens is designed to raise awareness of the increasing societal polarization in Germany and set a signal for unity. Together with Düzen Tekkal, the founder of the education movement GermanDream, and former Bundesliga player Tuğba Tekkal, who initiated the empowerment project SCORING GIRLS*, Snapchat enables the community to project the statement "I am part of Germany, united" over the horizon with the help of an AR lens, thus drawing attention to the increasing social polarisation in Germany.
"The unity of German society is more important than ever today. With 15 million monthly active users in Germany and a young, diverse community, Snapchat is particularly committed to promoting respectful and friendly interaction. Our Augmented Reality technology provides the opportunity to transport both historical and current socially relevant topics and to reinvigorate their significance - as in this case, the importance of October 3rd - for Generation Z," said Lennart Wetzel, Head of Public Policy DACH at Snap Inc.
AR experience creates a message in the sky
The AR Lens uses Sky Segmentation technology to allow Snapchatters to virtually see their first name paired with the message "I am part of German unity" in the sky and share it with their community. The Lens, which was developed especially for the holiday, uses other interactive elements that involve the user's friends in the AR experience - turning "I" into "We”.
Snapchatters can discover the Lens by receiving a push notification sent to all Snapchatters on October 3rd, as well as through the Snapchat Newsroom, advertisements in the city center of Hamburg, and on various creator profiles.
We are looking forward to the celebrations for German Reunification Day in Hamburg and to spreading the message of diversity, tolerance, and unity throughout Germany together with our diverse community.