Krampus

Challenge

Embed ourselves with a pack of Krampus, (Krampus - a horned, anthropomorphic figure described as a “half goat, half demon”) and film their hellish tour of people’s homes before they rampage through the streets of Austria. Convey the Krampus as approachable and fun but also as serious cultural tradition.

Insight

Our research told us that a part of the Krampus tradition was to visit people’s homes and scare the children into behaving themselves the next year…or else. We wanted to see the children’s reactions to the Krampus. We also wanted to get into the heart of the action during a Krampus run (a time where they parade through the streets). We needed to communicate with the beasts and be accepted into their pack (in Austrian).

Solution

Face the horror, show it and bring heart to the entertainment.

We worked closely with the Austrian Tourism board as well as various groups who make up the Krampus hordes. We plotted out a route of houses and booked ourselves into a number of Krampus events. Working with the organiser we were able to get be best placed during the events.