DERTOUR and Scholz & Friends are sending DIE FANTASTISCHEN VIER on vacation
DERTOUR is launching its next brand campaign with Germany’s most legendary hip-hop pioneers: For the 2026 annual campaign, DIE FANTASTISCHEN VIER are embarking on a musical journey with DERTOUR, positioning the brand as a diverse, flexible, and customer-focused travel provider. At the heart of the campaign is the exclusive song “Macht Urlaub,” which DERTOUR is embedding in listeners’ minds with its catchy tune.
After more than three decades together, DIE FANTASTISCHEN VIER have announced their farewell tour. In the new DERTOUR brand campaign, they reveal with a wink what they’ll do with their newfound free time until “Der letzte Bus” (The Last Bus) kicks off their tour: simply take a vacation. In keeping with the campaign motto “Just Take a DERTOUR,” Die Fantastischen Vier have written an exclusive song for the occasion, “Macht Urlaub,” which evokes a vacation mood and makes you want to just switch off for a while. Smudo says: “‘Capturing the vacation vibe in music without clichés’ is, of course, a challenge—and therefore automatically appealing to us.” Thomas D adds: “And together with DERTOUR, the agencies involved, and our team, we’ve succeeded. This isn’t a coincidence, but a collaborative effort.”
The creative concept and its execution were developed in close collaboration between the band, DERTOUR, and the lead agency Scholz & Friends, as well as the music agency Not a Machine, the band’s long-time creative consultant Oliver Ihrens (Radar Media), and director Lars Timmermann. It puts DIE FANTASTISCHEN VIER in the spotlight—at a time when the band is attracting maximum attention with its grand farewell tour.
Boris Raoul, CEO of DERTOUR Germany and Austria, explains the campaign’s approach as follows: “DERTOUR stands for diversity, flexibility, and a close connection to people. This is exactly what our new campaign reflects, as we rely on creative ideas that bring our brand essence to life. Die Fantastischen Vier are more than just testimonials—they embody the ‘Macht Urlaub’ feeling in a very humorous and likable way.”
Another highlight of the campaign is its innovative visual execution. About 50 percent of the live-action scenes featuring the band were enhanced with artificial intelligence during post-production. This collaboration between DERTOUR, Scholz & Friends, the production company Markenfilm, and the post-production studio Replayboys in Hamburg resulted in unique, exaggerated visual worlds where DIE FANTASTISCHEN VIER are instantly transformed into singing ice sculptures or nodding bobbleheads.
Marielle Wilsdorf, Creative Director at Scholz & Friends Hamburg: “This campaign is a prime example of how human creativity and advanced technology can successfully go hand in hand to create a visually distinctive campaign. We filmed with the band and enhanced the post-production with AI. The result would have been unthinkable without the creative vision. Because at Scholz & Friends, we believe that technology is only truly powerful when it is guided by people with conviction, taste, and human creativity.”
With its music-driven approach, DERTOUR is building on the successful strategy of the previous year. Back then, the 1980s hit “Da, Da, Da” by Trio, reinterpreted by pop artist Brunke, became the campaign anthem “DER DER DERTOUR.” The campaign significantly increased unaided brand awareness—a success upon which the collaboration with DIE FANTASTISCHEN VIER now builds.
Matthias Dietz, Director of Digital Marketing at DERTOUR: “We are continuing our successful, music-driven strategy to emotionally anchor DERTOUR in people’s minds. DIE FANTASTISCHEN VIER are the ideal choice for this: They inspire people across generations, are authentic, and embody a lifestyle that fits perfectly with our brand.”
The 360-degree campaign with DIE FANTASTISCHEN VIER will run throughout 2026 across all relevant channels—from TV and online to radio and out-of-home—and will be accompanied by a supporting social media campaign. Thanks to Dynamic Creative Optimization, DERTOUR reaches its target audiences precisely and contextually: The content is displayed where it is most relevant to the respective target group—thereby increasing the campaign’s impact across various touchpoints.
Credits
Agency: Scholz & Friends Hamburg:
Management: Marielle Wilsdorf
Creative Direction: Sertan Oyman, Martin Gillen, Jan Hoffmeister
Art Direction: Klaudia Francescon, Sarah Preuß, Johanna Köhler
Copywriter: Philipp Ries
Beratung: Nico Munsch
FFF: Sonia Plesser
Art Buying: Nele Hermann
Client: DERTOUR
Director Digital Marketing & Branding: Matthias Dietz
Marketing Manager: Simone Biba,
Consultant to CMXO: Victoria Schömig
Artist Collaboration + Musik Production: Not a Machine GmbH
Creative Director, Managing Partner: Jeffrey Lisk
Senior Producer, Managing Partner: Jaime Muthesius
Management DIE FANTASTISCHEN VIER:
Bär Läsker, Sebastian Winckler ( Musikwirtschaft.de )
Head of PR DF4: Nash Nopper
Creative Consultant DF4: Oliver Ihrens (CEO Radar Media GmbH)
Film production:
Markenfilm Hamburg GmbH
Direction: Lars Timmermann, DoP: Christian Huck, Oliver Berberich (tape in a nutshell)
Post + AI: Replayboys Studio
Photo post: Protokoll