We are the "Schotter Teufel" family

Schotter Teufel was a family-run (de-)construction and mining business in Baden-Württemberg, Germany for almost 100 years. Some employees were even 2nd or 3rd generation with parents or relatives having worked there as well.

They were known for their warm working atmosphere and highly regarded for their friendly, open-minded, and lively attitude.

Now, their plan was to grow a bit further: from 150 employees to 200 within the next year, and then to 250 in the year after.

They didn’t want to become too big and lose the familiarity. They wanted to keep the family atmosphere alive.

The problem: even though they were well known in the region, they had difficulties recruiting new family members. So, they approached the agency I was working for back then – Agentur Junges Herz – and asked for help in creating a completely new appearance for them as a caring employer.

The solution: a new website, a new logo, a new social media strategy, and at the heart of it an employer-branding video with an overarching storyline.

Even though we came up with good ideas for a concept immediately, none of them felt right or good enough.

Yes, the client’s wish of having ‘family’ as their core value front and center was included in every one of them. But they all lacked that certain something to make them stand out. They all lacked a story. So, after some brainstorming, we went home.

During that evening I was listening to some music, while preparing dinner. I didn’t even pay that much attention to the music. It was just background noise.

Then, as soon as I heard the beginning of the next song, my brain kicked in ...

It was Rob Zombie’s cover of “We’re an American Band”. The first thing you hear is not music or Rob Zombie himself. It is a little child saying: “When I grow up, I want to be a rockstar!”

Suddenly my brain connected that child’s voice with the fact that some employees at Schotter Teufel were 2nd generation. So, …

… what if a child told their parent, that they want to work at Schotter Teufel, too?

… what if we replaced the employees in the video with their actual children?

… what if the children then guided us through the loving and caring world at Schotter Teufel?

The storyline was right there in their history: Since the beginning, Schotter Teufel has not only grown in their services, but also grew into this welcoming family, that even the next generation wants to join. WE ARE THE “SCHOTTER TEUFEL” FAMILY!

And there it was the idea, the story, the concept we had been searching for all day:

Following the children through typical workday scenarios – from asphalting a street to doing office work to triggering an explosion in the mine.

This idea was met with huge, immediate enthusiasm.

So much so that in less than a month we had an approved script, locations scouted, equipment booked, and every little detail planned and scheduled – including a B-crew.

Everyone at Schotter Teufel was so excited about the idea, that we both had all the necessary heavy machinery and little actors in no time. We were ready to film!

For two days in the last week of August 2019 – working in two teams – my crew and I filmed children between 3 and 12 years old ‘using’ an excavator at a live construction site, trucks driving through the mountainous region of Straßberg, or gravel being crushed by huge machines into sand of various degrees of fineness.

The biggest challenge was to direct all the kids. Some were very keen to participate, others suddenly got stage fright, and one didn’t understand me because the child spoke the regional dialect.

In order to overcome this, I told the present parent(s) what their children needed to do and they relayed my instructions in a manner the little actors could follow and to deliver the performance we wanted.

And yes, at the end of the day, we blew something up.

A video that celebrates family and team spirit.

The video was featured during events held at the mine, shown at local theatres and gathered positive feedback.

Schotter Teufel was able to achieve their set-out hiring numbers and grew to 200 employees within the next year.