Posted by Christiane Bunnenberg, Strategic Planner at Draftfcb Hamburg

Open any newspaper, turn on any radio channel, chat with any person: The economic crisis still projects it’s overwhelming black shadow and darkens our faith in future and prosperous stability. Everywhere? No no, not in Denmark – well, to be more specific, not at Nonbye, Denmark’s biggest producer of sign shields. What’s going on there?

Manager John Nonbye Read was sick of hearing employees and clients moaning about crisis and so he simply placed a ban on using all negative words around this topic. With this measure John Nonbye wants avoid the risk of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

So far so good, but what does that mean in reality:

1.Visitors and employees who talk about crisis on the factory premises will be friendly advised of  “seeing the crisis as an opportunity for future and business.”

2. A trainee is assigned to cut out all articles in the newspapers every morning – in order to make sure that people stay positive and don’t get silly ideas. (Which right now make 1/3 of the daily newspaper, he said in an interview).
 
3.The movement is not limited on the company itself. Everybody can join!

If you are a Danish citizen you can even order a button (saying: NO TO FINANCIAL CRISIS) or – for all international fans – you can join their facebook site, search for “Nonbye - no til finanskrisen"

I can’t help myself, but I love this idea. And while I am writing this, I keep on humming good old John Lennon “imagine all the people, living for today, it’s easy if you try, no hell below us, above us only sky… you may say I am a dreamer, but I'm not the only one, I hope someday you'll join us, and the world will be as one.”

OK – enough hippy spirit! Go back to work and let’s rock it!