As part of our Indies @ Cannes coverage, we’re looking at a few pieces of work from our members that have been entered in this year’s competition. Going to Cannes and an indie? Hit us up and let us know your plans.
When Michael Stücke, a sheep farmer from the tiny village of Löhne, sat down with a friend to discuss his struggles, he wasn’t expecting to spark a global campaign. The German wool industry was in crisis—falling prices, escalating costs, and strict EU regulations were making it increasingly unprofitable.
As a member of the Gay Farmers Association, Stücke faced additional challenges: prejudice from both the farming community and society at large. But during that conversation, he dropped a nugget of information that would change everything: “My sheep are gay too.”
The friend happened to be a colleague at Serviceplan Cologne, and as Ann-Kathrin Schirpke, Creative Group Head, recalls: “All of our creatives’ alarm bells went off.”
The insight was both delightful and sobering—these rams, more interested in other males than breeding, are typically sent to slaughter. “Sometimes, if you have a great insight like that, your idea can be as simple as can be,” Schirpke explains. “We have gay sheep. They give us gay wool. Let’s fucking go.”
What emerged was Rainbow Wool (Regenbogenwolle)—premium fashion made from the fleece of gay sheep. Beanies for humans and dogs, shoelaces in pride packaging, patches, and even an adoption program where people could sponsor individual sheep.
Every element—the farmer, the sheep, the wool—reached over a billion people worldwide.
When Falling Wool Prices Met an Unexpected Truth
The initial ask was simple: help Stücke figure out how to make his struggling wool farm profitable again.
But this wasn’t just about market forces. As Schirpke explains, Stücke and his husband faced “the struggles of gay farmers in Germany”—prejudices from both the farming community and society at large.
The revelation about gay sheep added another layer: these non-breeding rams were typically sent to slaughter, seen as useless to the industry. Suddenly, a business problem became an opportunity to challenge assumptions about what’s “natural” and valuable.
After all, with 1,500 species exhibiting same-sex relationships, maybe the wool industry had been looking at things all wrong.
Going Big or Going Home (They Chose Big)
Serviceplan could have played it safe—maybe a nice local campaign, some feel-good PR. Instead, they went straight to LSVD+, Germany’s largest LGBTQ+ organization.
“We said, yeah, guys, let’s go big or go home,” Schirpke recalls.
The partnership wasn’t just for credibility. It meant every purchase would support LGBTQ+ projects in Germany and worldwide.
The gay sheep weren’t just saving Stücke’s farm—they were becoming advocates for equality. As Schirpke puts it, they needed to be “backed up with the correct information and the correct people” to transform a potentially controversial concept into a movement.
Show Your True Colors (And Your True Fleece)
The products themselves became the campaign. Each Rainbow Wool beanie came with personality—literally, since the adoption program let people sponsor specific sheep with their own profiles.
The shoelaces arrived in packaging that Schirpke proudly calls “amazing packaging design.” Even the tagline “Show your true colors” felt less like advertising and more like permission.
The team visited the farm, met the sheep, and documented everything. This wasn’t just merchandise; it was proof that “sometimes the most natural thing in the world is also the most colorful,” as the campaign stated.
What Happens When You Tell Farmers Their Industry Has Gay Sheep
“We all knew it could go either way,” Schirpke admits. And the backlash came, though not as much as feared.
Some farmers worried the campaign reinforced stereotypes about sending gay sheep to slaughter. “What’s up with you guys?” they asked.
But something interesting happened when the team kept talking, kept explaining. “Most of them eventually get on your side,” Schirpke discovered, “especially if it’s an idea that is as pure and as simple as this one.”
The hate they’d anticipated from anti-LGBTQ+ quarters arrived too, but was drowned out by support from 30+ countries.
The Tiny Village That Started a Global Conversation
Selling this idea required a delicate balance. You can’t just walk into a room and say “gay sheep wool” without backup.
So they came prepared: scientific facts about homosexuality occurring in 1,500 species, partnership credentials from LSVD+, and most importantly, Stücke and his husband as living proof of who this helped.
The campaign exploded across earned media—over a billion impressions, €1.2 million in media value, coverage in 30+ countries. All with what Schirpke calls “a relatively low media budget.”
Löhne, population tiny, suddenly found itself at the center of a global phenomenon. But the real victory was simpler: Stücke’s farm now had a sustainable revenue stream.
“There are still countries where same-sex relationships are outlawed, and some even put the death penalty on it,” Schirpke notes. “So there is incredibly a lot of work to do.”
Every Rainbow Wool purchase supports LSVD+ projects, but it started with helping one farmer friend. Sometimes the best campaigns begin with the smallest briefs—and the most unlikely ambassadors.
Also from LG2: Three Campaigns That Turn Convention on Its Head
The Orange: Three Minutes That Made Quebec Stop and Watch
LG2’s film for CHU Sainte-Justine Foundation tells the story of a child with a brain tumor described as “a little orange in my head.” In a touching twist, the child offers to give the orange to their orange-loving grandmother—a moment that left viewers reaching for tissues. The campaign secured 30 three-minute TV placements, an almost unheard-of achievement, while maintaining a 90% completion rate. By framing Quebec’s transition to precision medicine as a “medical revolution,” the film transformed complex medical science into something deeply human. The foundation called it their most effective awareness campaign ever.
Buzzkill: The Cannabis Store Nobody Wanted to Shop At
When Ontario Cannabis Store asked for a “spot the sign” campaign to help consumers identify legal retailers, LG2 had a different idea. They created Buzzkill—a fake dispensary on Queen Street West designed to showcase the dangers of illegal cannabis (toxins, heavy metals, pesticides). The bright green storefront worked too well; people kept trying to enter even during setup. Results? A 152% increase in Ontarians’ likelihood to shop legal and 33.2 million earned impressions. Sometimes the best retail experience is the one that repels customers.
No Need for Speed: Getting Gamers to Slow Down
Quebec’s road safety authority SAAQ needed to change attitudes about speeding in residential areas. LG2’s insight: gamers always drive as fast as possible, even in virtual neighborhoods. So they partnered with Twitch streamers to do the opposite—driving responsibly in games like GTA to spark conversations about real-world speeding. Nothing was pre-recorded; five hours of uncontrolled live content reached 30,000+ young viewers. Other streamers organically joined the movement, and road accidents decreased by 7% in one month. Proof that sometimes going slow gets you there faster.
Learn more
Agency Sites
Guests
Ann-Kathrin Schirpke, Copywriter at Serviceplan Cologne
Contact
Serviceplan
+49 89 2050 20 | in**@********************on.com
lg2
+1 514 281-8901 | in*****@*g2.com
- About the Author
- Latest Posts
Doug Zanger is the founder and editor-in-chief of Indie Agency News. He is also the founder of the Creative Bohemian consultancy, lives in the Pacific Northwest and is insufferable about it.
