About the film

The head of a Berlin advertising agency explains his proposed strategy to his potential client, a Danish optical company. The communication strategy that we ultimately came up with as a basis or any creative act or means of communication has three headings. The first is “relevant, not arrogant”; the second, “varied, not uniform”; and the third is, “creative, not pushy”. These are essentially translations, strategic translations of your basic requirements and your analysis of the market, as well. With “Der Auftritt” Farocki once again takes us into the world of advertising, following “An Image” and “Umsatz oder wie kann man einen Schuh darstellen?” (1989).

An advertising agency has to pitch a marketing concept to an optician's consortium, represented by the manager who is the first to see the campaign. The logo submitted, ‚Eyedentity', is examined from every angle: it must simultaneously express both the company's dynamism and its reliability! A fascinating, dispassionate glimpse behind closed doors, where every detail is dramatised to win that lucrative contract.