INNOCEAN Berlin

Client: Wer Braucht Feminismus?
Product: The Vulva Spaceship
Title: The Vulva Spaceship
Media: YouTube, Instagram, Facebook
Country: Germany
Date Of Campaign: 21.02.2022

Background: While the world was dealing with the climate crisis, rising rents, and soaring energy prices, billionaires decided to engage in the so-called space race. Causing a huge discussion online, not only about the space race itself, but also about the phallic shape of the rockets. With people spreading memes and the media making fun of the penis shaped spaceships. German feminist organization “Wer braucht Feminismus?” saw this as the perfect chance to bring attention back to the problems we’re facing on Earth. Namely the still existing inequalities like underrepresentation of women in coveted positions as well as the gender pay gap.

Idea: To hijack the conversation around the phallic space race and draw attention to our cause, we designed the first ever spaceship shaped like a vulva, and rather unsurprisingly named it The Vulva Spaceship. To accompany this instantly shareable and memeable spaceship design we launched a petition asking for signatures and lobbied the European Space Agency to build the spaceship. We created WBF Aeronautics that focused on the scientific work behind the project. A film was launched to give everyone a look behind the scenes of the project and explain the design process of the spaceship. Actors became scientists and engineering experts to give the project some legitimacy – all with a slight twinkle in the eye.

Results: The project was featured in a huge number of important news outlets, generating thousands of views, comments, and memes as well as an astonishing 250 million media impressions, headlines in 106 countries, reaching half a billion people and all with 0 media budget. Starting from mostly European news outlets like the BBC, The Guardian and Canal+, it found its way onto social media and news sites all around the world – from Argentina to China to Vietnam and Australia, causing a big discussion not only amongst news media, but also with well-known YouTubers and influencers from all around the world. Adding to the already existing PR. But most importantly by hijacking the discussion around the billionaire space race, The Vulva Spaceship put the spotlight on “Wer braucht Feminismus?” and gender inequality on Earth.