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Dark Patterns in Print advertising

For us as a communication company, classic mailings have occasionally been part of our work in the past, but never a focus. In the past one or two years, they have been more about new contacts — and thus to the starting point of our internal examination of advertising materials, which sometimes have questionable methods in their luggage.

In 2024, we had a number of conversations in which our astonished ears dug deep into the marketing bag of tricks and some things came to light that were not at all like us: the exertion of buying pressure was propagated, successful manipulation was reported and Dark Patterns, as we know them from the internet, were adapted in printed mailings. In addition, there was a segmentation into target groups not according to potential needs, but rather a categorisation into — naturally more pleasingly formulated — “addicted to buying” and “not so relevant”.

The realization that our software can also help to make questionable behavior more successful have led us to feel uncomfortable, while we proudly presented what options we have with ManyPrint Solutions to create all possible printed matter highly individualized.

Dark Patterns shake the credibility

As a result, we have observed even more attentively than before, as in print advertising — individualized and non-individualized — is communicated. With our sharpened awareness of such behavior, one or the other example was also found in our mailbox that deliberately communicates misleadingly. Or what would you expect if a letter has the imprint “important information for all house residents!” Certainly also upcoming construction work, which make access to the house more difficult, the announcement of unavoidable noise, or at least the announcement of an event in the neighborhood, which brings impairments for residents.

None of this was in our letter! The inscription on the letter clearly falls into the Dark Patterns category, because Dark Patterns are manipulative procedures that aim to move someone to something he or she would not have done.

A letter with the inscription “important information for all house residents!”.
No marketing trick, but simply a lie: a letter with the inscription “Important information for all house residents!”.

One of the letters that made this or a comparable inscription was of a lottery that made the sheet for “important information for all house residents” with it that there was a kind of neighborly chance of winning; The other was the advertising of the company, which was just renewing the internet cables in the area, but did not inform about restrictions, but also addressed the new internet tariffs.

The inscription only served to suggest that there was important information in the context of living and that the recipients: to tempt the advertising inside, which otherwise — and mostly justified — ends up unopened and unread in the trash.

The misuse of this important line on the envelope not only annoys us personally, but is also a sign of the aggressiveness of advertising and at the same time indifference to the consequences. After all, what will happen if more and more advertising material pretends to be important information in future? We will no longer be able to distinguish the really important ones, which inform us about unavoidable restrictions or even dangers, from adverts in the letterbox and will throw them away.

The credibility, which is currently mentioned a lot when it comes to the advantages of printed information about digital information, is broken sustainably, the loss of trust is accepted. The main thing is that I made money again. After me? The deluge!

And now?

Well: It is not just our gut feeling that does not allow all kinds of advertising. How advertising may be carried out is regulated throughout Europe by fair competition law1, which is intended to guarantee fair competition — the focus is on protection against misleading or aggressive commercial behaviour. Specifications refer to the advertised product: for example, no falsehoods may be communicated.

Whether misleading Dark Patterns are excluded in terms of content and design is probably a legal gray area because advertising is usually one step ahead of all laws. However, we leave the actual legal assessment to this.

The digital variant has already been controlled: the EU regulation Digital Services Act (DSA), which came into force in early 2024, intends to contain manipulative practices. With regard to the fact that websites that are aimed at children are not freed from Dark Patterns, this is an important and overdue step. The containment in the digital space will probably lead to the fact that the successful practices are used in a different way — for example in printed form — until the laws are also so far here.

We don't want to wait for that.

More sincere, instead of louder

We have set ourselves the goal of writing our own “manifesto for more sincere advertising” (German “Manifest für lautere Werbung”). An advertisement in which deception, sensationalization, emotional pressure or the use of weaknesses makes room for valuable content, in which it does not make a time pressure, but information that can see all people — including children — because sexism, racism and other group-related discrimination does not find any place.

We're not ready yet, but on it.

If you are also interested in participating in a “manifesto for more sincere advertising”, please contact us by email to |||%3D2FE6C%5CH6C36%3FoH%3AC36%3DH%3A%3D5%5D4%40%3E. We look forward to like-minded people!