Frankfurt mocked for 'awful' Brexit promo video
October 13, 2018
A video promoting the western German city of Frankfurt appeared to backfire after social media users reacted to it with scorn and ridicule.
Frankfurt Main Finance, an association, published the animated video "Fall in love with Frankfurt" to attract London-based finance companies and professionals to the city after Britain's planned departure from the European Union in 2019.
Read more: City warns of Brexit exodus as Citigroup shifts hub to Frankfurt
In the clip, a woman asks a man whether his parents were architects because he is "well built." The man, speaking with a German accent, introduces himself as "Furt. Frank Furt," and proceeds to explain why the city is an attractive place to live and work.
Derogatory comments on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook piled up quickly after the video's publication on Tuesday.
- "The video was cringeworthy," British Conservative MP Greg Hands wrote on Twitter.
- One YouTube user complained the clip made him "feel a little nauseous."
- A Twitter user wrote the video "couldn't be anymore German if it were a parody!!"
- "Embarrassing video. Utterly ineffective," wrote another Twitter user.
- "Everyone is laughing at this stupid video," wrote a German Facebook user.
The head of Frankfurt Main Finance, Hubertus Väth, said the video was an attempt to improve the city's problematic image abroad. The arguments presented in it, he added, "speak for themselves."