Mercedes-Benz
Re-connecting a luxury brand to younger consumers
We used the famous Mercedes-Benz logo to headline a campaign that updated the brand's image with young affluent consumers.
The challenge
Attract younger consumers to Mercedes-Benz
For decades, Mercedes-Benz was the ultimate expression of success and prestige in Taiwan. However, the brand was losing its appeal among the country's young affluent elite, who were more attracted to younger, more exciting brands such as BMW and Lexus. These consumers viewed the Mercedes-Benz brand as "their father's car" and not for them.
At a time when the Taiwanese luxury car market was in decline, our task was to create energy and interest around Mercedes-Benz during its 120th anniversary year - and to restore the brand's luster in the eyes of young affluent consumers.
Our insight
The star symbol is an aspirational symbol of luxury
During in-depth interviews with target consumers, we discovered a curious contradiction. While there was an overall feeling that Mercedes-Benz was associated with previous generations' successes, the star-shaped logo itself was still viewed as a timeless symbol of aspirational luxury and design.
Our target audience was also fascinated by news and gossip, constantly competing with each other to be the first one to break the news about a new gadget, a new technology, personality story or media event.
By marrying these insights, we created the springboard for an outstanding solution.
Our solution
Develop multimedia campaign built around the logo
We developed a multimedia campaign built around the Mercedes-Benz logo, called Guiding Star.
A mysterious crop circle appeared in the countryside in the shape of the Mercedes-Benz logo. TV news, major newspapers and online portals picked up the story, generating great excitement throughout Taiwan. These fake pictures and stories were planted as part of our buzz marketing and PR campaign.
The TV campaign developed nostalgia about the logo and was shown across the young elite's
must-see channels and programs. Print ads focused on Mercedes-Benz's technological innovations, capitalizing on the target's love of gadgets.
Throughout the campaign, consumers were guided by the Mercedes-Benz logo to actively engage with a microsite, share experiences and drive nostalgia for the brand. Consumers were invited to locate the star on a series of pictures and enter a prize draw as well as a 'make a wish' in a special area where they could ask for their dream Mercedes model.
The results
- 5.8% sales increase
- 20% lead in brand awareness over BMW
- Consumers 'happy to recommend the brand' up 24%
