It’s a few years ago now, but the Mercedes campaign “Grow Up” was a powerful example of how to target younger people with your brand.
Developed by Antoni the campaign aimed at making the brand more attractive for younger people. It used the mechanics of what younger people use today. No big TV camaign, rather the biggest content campaign in the companies history.
And it wasn’t all about muscle car ads or the like, rather it focused as much on the people that drive the cars, as the cars themselves.
Five short films were developed highlighting the issues of the younger generation focusing on what it means to grow up today. It tackled the evolution of luxury and life itself from todays perspective. The films focused on “settling down”, “being a good parent”, starting a family” and “spending time with the family”, as well as the image story for the campaign.
On top of the five films around 190 pieces of content were built around these topics, which ran in over 50 markets worldwide. The campaign was played out mainly over digital channels without a huge TV spend.
“Grow Up” is much more than a major campaign about a model series. It is a further move forward by the brand as a whole toward more modernity, progressivm and dynamism accross the entire brand identity of Mercedes-Benz”.
The campaign was more about fashion photography than classical car ads with pop-culture icon A$AP Rocky as the new face of the campaign. He told his story about gowing up and getting a job.
Did the campaign work? According to Jens Thiemer at Mercedes Mercedes has sold two million compact cars since the campaign, which certainly shows that the campaign possibly worked.
The brand these days is seen not only as an automotive brand, but as a lifestyle statement.
