① Austria’s Public Transport Tattoo Campaign
Austria’s recent quirky campaign aimed to boost the use of public transport has sparked considerable controversy. Hosted in the southern Austrian region of Zell am See-Kaprun during the Frequency Festival and in Salzburg’s Electric Love Festival, the event offered a free one-year public transport pass to anyone with a tattoo that said “KlimaTicket.” The campaign was limited to the first six participants.
The organizers took to Instagram to promote the initiative, encouraging people to get inked. Indeed, six people followed through, getting tattoos and receiving their free public transport tickets. Besides the “KlimaTicket” phrase, the event offered other free climate-change-related tattoo designs. Lines of people wanting free tattoos and transport tickets continued even after the event concluded. “The campaign was extremely successful,” praised the KlimaTicket organizers.
The yearly pass, which allows unlimited access to Austria’s public transport network, is valued at 1095 euros ($1,290.20). Among Austria’s population of 9 million, approximately 250,000 people utilize this pass.
② Ongoing Debate on the Tattoo Campaign
However, the campaign didn’t go as smoothly as expected. Critics argued that it was inappropriate to use young people’s bodies for advertising KlimaTicket. Many questioned the ethics of asking people to get permanent tattoos just to promote the use of public transport.
There was also strong opposition against extending this campaign to minors. Austrian lawmaker Henrike Brandstötter stated, “Offering money to people as a trade-off for advertising is unacceptable.”
Local media criticized the climate department’s tattoo promotion as “sustainable stupidity,” calling it blatant cynicism. The organizers said participating in the campaign was “a matter of personal choice and responsibility.” They also clarified that all the participants were already comfortable with tattoos and had at least one prior tattoo.
Austrian Climate Minister Leonore Gewessler added, “The promotion was carried out only during the day when festival attendees are sober and were limited to adults over 18.” She also noted that most participants already had tattoos and merely added another one. However, possibly due to the controversy, no further events of this type will be held this year, and plans for a similar campaign next year are under review.
Local netizens reacted with various opinions, asking, “Who pays for the expensive skin removal if the campaign logo changes or expires due to age?” Others called for treating one’s body respectfully and stated that a body without the “KlimaTicket” phrase was more beautiful.
③ Similar Campaigns Conducted in the Past
This isn’t Austria’s first tattoo campaign. Last March, a Catholic church in Vienna, the Austrian capital, offered tattoo services to its parishioners. Famous tattoo artist Jilas Bex was invited to ink attendees over 18 for free.
Campaign organizer Christopher Paul Campbell said, “We want to use tattoos to spread Catholic faith rather than associate it with body worship or superstition.” After a church service themed around tattoos at the nearby St. Rupert’s Church, blessings were provided for those who received tattoos.
After the Mass, participants were tattooed with one of the five symbols representing Jesus and Christianity, such as the cross or the fish, in the square.
The Netherlands also had a similar campaign last June. Amsterdam’s Rembrandt House Museum conducted a project where renowned Dutch tattoo artists tattooed parts of Rembrandt’s artwork on attendees. Tattoo prices ranged from 100 to 250 euros ($117.80 to $294.50), and the initiative drew significant attention, selling out almost immediately.
The Rembrandt House Museum explained that they planned the event intending to say, “If Rembrandt created his works using paper and copper plates, tattoo artists create works of art that can be cherished for a lifetime on people’s skin.”
By. Kim Min Jae (minjaaie33@mememedia.co.kr)
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