Not pictured...

Summer may be coming to an end, but warm temperatures continue to draw people to lakes, rivers and other open waters for swimming and recreation. And with that come accidents. Together, the German Life Saving Association (DLRG) and media company Ströer aim to raise awareness of existing and often underestimated dangers, reaching people exactly where the risk of water-related accidents increases. The current Digital Out of Home (DOOH) campaign, created by Grabarz & Partner, focuses specifically on men.

“About 90 percent of the people who lost their lives in water-related accidents this summer were male. A lack of risk awareness, overconfidence, reckless behaviour and alcohol often play a decisive role in these tragedies,” says Ute Vogt, President of the DLRG. “We are very grateful to have two committed partners in Ströer and Grabarz & Partner who share our goal of preventing further deaths.”

“Most fatal accidents do not happen in swimming pools. They happen in rivers, lakes and bathing waters. The reasons are often a lack of knowledge, overconfidence and poor judgment, particularly among men,” says Ralf Heuel, CCO and Partner at Grabarz & Partner. “The campaign motifs address the most common causes of these accidents without relying on shocking imagery. Yet they still unsettle. Because with the headline device ‘Not pictured...’, the real drama unfolds in the viewer’s mind.”

“Our digital outdoor media reach people exactly where attention matters most: in public spaces and at the decisive moment. The major advantage of DOOH for this campaign lies in our ability to deliver messages regionally and whenever outdoor temperatures exceed 27°C, while also reaching younger audiences. Unlike social media, public space allows us to engage a broad and diverse audience beyond filter bubbles, right in the middle of everyday life. This DLRG campaign demonstrates how effectively DOOH can deliver messages in real time, influence behaviour and strengthen civic engagement,” says Alexander Stotz, CEO of Ströer Media Deutschland GmbH.

DLRG Statistics: Victims Are Predominantly Male

Year after year, DLRG statistics on drowning fatalities in Germany show that around 80 percent of victims are male. During the summer months, when most swimming accidents occur, that share is typically even higher. Recently, the number of incidents involving boys and young men has risen particularly sharply. In June, a month with a notably high accident rate, 45 percent of victims whose age was known were no older than 30. All 40 victims were male.

According to DLRG figures, at least 261 people lost their lives in German waters during the first seven months of 2026. That is 15 more than during the same period last year. While fewer accidents occurred than in 2025 during the first months of the year, the start of the bathing season saw a significant increase in fatal incidents. Between the beginning of May and the end of July alone, 189 people drowned. The last time more lives were lost during that period was in 2019, when 220 fatalities were recorded.

From the DLRG’s perspective, being able to swim safely remains the most effective protection against drowning. At the same time, greater education about the risks associated with swimming and bathing is needed across different population groups.

“As in so many areas of life, the key to reducing drowning accidents is knowledge. People who are aware of the risks are less likely to take them,” said DLRG President Ute Vogt when presenting the organisation’s mid-year drowning report in Düsseldorf in August.

The current Digital Out of Home campaign by DLRG, Ströer and Grabarz & Partner makes an important contribution to that effort.

For more information on DLRG drowning statistics, visit: dlrg.de/statistik-ertrinken