In a powerful new rallying cry for Gen Z, Deutsche Telekom inspires this audience to reclaim their agency and personal identity in an age of constant content overwhelm and online expectations. The brand’s new “Not a Passenger” campaign, created by INGO (an agency with offices in Stockholm, Hamburg, Amsterdam and Zurich), responds to this challenge by empowering Gen Z with the belief that they can choose to reclaim their identity by navigating this landscape with a sense of autonomy.
Wet Leg frontwoman Rhian Teasdale leads the action for Deutsche Telekom’s “Not a Passenger” campaign, which brings the strategy to life by way of a high-octane car ride with Teasdale at the wheel. Directed by Charlie Engman via production company Colors, the cinematic film serves as a striking reminder to Gen Z to tune out the backseat drivers served up by algorithms and lock into their own internal signal.
Teasdale is seen navigating a barrage of pressures and unsolicited advice, bombarded by noise, opinions, and advice attempting to throw her off track. As she starts the car, a voice announces, “You’re listening to Passenger FM,” and she then sets off around what becomes a computer game-style obstacle course of persistent influencers selling smoothies, muffins, an LED facemask, and street dancers.
Finally, she dramatically takes matters into her own hands, and the film finishes as she makes an active choice not to be a passenger, and the car radio announces that she has changed stations and is now listening to Drivers Seat FM.
Alongside the 60-second hero manifesto film, the brand is staging the Telekom Electronic Beats live experience in Berlin, headlined by Wet Leg. Fans will be able to use social media clues to track down the “Not a Passenger” car featured in the ad, which will move around secret spots in Berlin, to secure a pair of tickets.
Teasdale said, “I love being in a band and I love making music, but it’s 2026, which means I also run a couple of social media accounts. And with that comes a constant stream of opinions about me, my friends, and the music we make. Whether those opinions are super sweet and encouraging or creepy and loaded with misogyny, it’s important to me to be able to tune them out and stay on my own frequency. That’s why the message of ‘I’m Not a Passenger’ really clicked with me. We’re all constantly being told who to be by strangers online. Life’s too short not to be at the helm.”
Dan Fisher, global chief creative officer at INGO, said, “With this campaign, we’re reminding people of the importance of tuning out the noise and tuning into your own instincts. And who better to work with on a campaign that celebrates the power that comes with owning your own world than the hugely inspiring Rhian Teasdale? At the heart of our work with Deutsche Telekom is a simple idea: technology should help people connect with their world on their own terms, rather than dictate those terms to them.”
