AOK and Scholz & Friends Launch Campaign to Reduce Obesity

According to the Robert Koch Institute, there are now more overweight people in Germany than those of normal weight—67 percent of men and 54 percent of women. The health consequences and economic impacts are significant (Source: World Obesity Atlas 2023), and urgent action is needed. That is why AOK, together with Scholz & Friends, has developed a campaign that informs people and motivates them to take action. The motto: “Sticking with it pays off.”

The campaign aims to help people break unhealthy routines, establish healthy habits, and thus reduce their weight in the long term. At the heart of the umbrella campaign is the “AOK 66-Day Challenge.” It is based on the scientific finding that it takes an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become a habit (European Journal of Social Psychology).

There are five challenges in total: “Cut back on sugar,” “Eat more vitamins,” “Avoid constant snacking,” “Get fitter with every step,” and “Challenge yourself physically.” They combine practical tips on nutrition and exercise with guidance for self-reflection and motivational elements. The focus is on positive, everyday benefits such as building energy and increasing well-being—without deprivation. The AOK 66-Day Challenge was developed by an interdisciplinary team of experts.

“Obesity is a growing problem for our healthcare system. Yet many people affected want to achieve a healthier weight. However, they often fail due to the ‘diet jungle’ as well as false promises and unrealistic expectations. But losing weight takes time. There is no single tip that works for everyone. That’s why, together with Scholz & Friends, we’re taking a holistic approach that equally considers nutrition, exercise, and motivation,” says Felix Kellndorfer, Managing Director of Market/Products at AOK.

Michael Winterhagen, Executive Creative Director at Scholz & Friends: “A lot has already been said about weight, so in our AOK campaign we’re using offbeat humor to reach even those who are already ‘tired of dieting.’ The spots encourage behavioral changes with a touch of humor. And with the AOK 66-Day Challenge, we’re giving people a tool to help them stick with it—with joy and realistic goals.

The 66-Day Challenge is being promoted through a series of TV commercials, among other things, which tackle the topic of weight loss with the self-deprecating humor typical of AOK. They show people who, out of frustration, give up on their diet attempts—for example, by feeding a salad into an office shredder, dumping their bike into a river, or setting their yoga mat on fire. A voiceover comments dryly: “Frustrated with weight loss? Start the AOK 66-Day Challenge now.” The next moment, the scenes are humorously resolved: the bike is pulled out of the water with a crane, the shredded salad is fished out of the trash and turned into a healthy lunch, and the yoga mat is saved with a fire extinguisher. The spots thus convey the campaign’s central message: Setbacks are part of the process—the key is to keep at it.

The campaign launches at the end of September and runs through November 2025. It will be rolled out across all relevant channels and for various target groups—from brand and policyholder communications to employer and internal communications, as well as youth marketing and regional extensions. Headlines such as “Discover the healing power of stones. Take the stairs,” “Leeks are healthy,” or “You’re 60% water. There’s still room for improvement” provide an accessible entry point to the topic.

Credits
Client: AOK-Bundesverband eGbR
Felix Kellndorfer, Geschäftsführer „Markt/Produkte“, Tim Gillwald, Abteilungsleiter „Marketing & Vertrieb“, David Schicht, Referatsleiter „Marketing & Medien“, Michael Schönberger, Referent „Marketing/Medien“, Sandra Milkereit, Referentin „Marketing/ Medien“, Jutta Rick, Referatsleiterin „Markenführung/Marktforschung“, André Theis, Referent „Markenführung/Marktforschung“, Corinna Zehreis, Referentin „Markenführung/Marktforschung“, Tom Reichard, Manager Strategie und Transformation „Markt/Produkte“, Oliver Huizinga, Abteilungsleiter „Prävention“ 

AOK-Contentroom: André Tucic, Content Director, Alexandra Schöne, Projektmanagement, Paul Sackmann, Teamlead Social, Melanie Keifens, Content Managerin Social Media, Juliane Wellisch, Teamlead Online 

Agency: Scholz & Friends Berlin
Management: Stefan Wegner 
Creation: Michael Winterhagen, Executive Creative Director, Benjamin Waldt Creative Director, Wulf Rechtacek, Creative Director, Jasmin Krausch, Sr. Copy Writer, Annabelle Marschall, Sr. Art Director, Vinicius Valadao, Sr. Art Director, Sarah Weinberger, Jr. AD, Felix Boudier, Jr. Text, Ferhan Sayili, Jr. Text 

Consulting: Sophia Uhlich, Account Director, Selina Rieser, Sr. Account Manager, Milena Pfennig, Account Manager, Stefan Rupperti, Freelancer Beratung 

PR: Björn Köllen-Steiner, Client Service Director, Alena Becker, Sr. PR Consultant/stv. Teamleitung PR, Constantin Hofsäß, PR Consultant, Paulina Metzler, Jr. PR Consultant 

Strategy: Elena Mokulys, Executive Strategy Director, Rebecca Wanner, Manager Diversity, Equity & Inclusion People & Culture 

Production: Agostino De Martino, Executive Producer, Tino Schulz, Producer 

Film production: Markenfilm GmbH 
Angelo Cerisara, Director 
Krzysztof Trojnar, Director of Photography 
Lorenz Marcus, Executive Producer 
Muriel Dornseif, Producer 
Marla Lindschau, Assistant Producer 
Bob Baiker, Production Assistant 
Tymek Kutz, 1st AD 
Bloom Casting, Casting DE 
Kennedy Casting, Casting UK 

Post production: Martin Schön, Producer, Moritz Möllenkamp, Postproduction Coordinator, Jörn Schütte, VFX Artist, Benjamin Behre, Online Artist, Chris Coupland, Editor, Tim Smith, Colourist 

Service Production: Lucky Luciano Pictures 
Sound Design, Music Editing & Mix: Hello Robin Hamburg 
Voice Over: Jens H. c/o Hello Robin Hamburg 

Media: HAVAS Media Germany