If you are a resident of the UK, then you might have taken note of a new ad campaign by Mercedes-Benz’s for their latest A-Class series vehicle. The actual advertisement is nothing special in terms of content itself at first, but where Mercedes-Benz makes a bold move in the campaign is to rely on Twitter users to determine where the commercial goes.
This is the first time any commercial has allowed viewers and users to fully integrate with the commercial, and get them more involved with the brand through social media channels. This would all happen with a sixty-second commercial for the A-Class being shown, which features a presumed stunt driver with a fictional music artist who is played by one Kane Robinson driving through enclosed streets away from chasing police cars as they get to some sort of illegal gathering of music.
After the first segment (which is of three that gets shown), users would be able to Tweet designated hashtags shown on the commercial alongside the main tag #YOUDRIVE to determine where the next segments go. In my brief viewing of the commercial, it the selections were to make the driver of the car to either #hide or #evade the pursuants.
Yes, the story is a little over-the-top, but the new ads are meant to appeal to a younger audience of future Mercedes-Benz drivers. With social media playing such a large role in determining engagement and awareness, the people behind the commercial knew that the two had to be combined somehow.
There’s little to say into just how successful this experiment by Mercedes really is since it’s too early to tell. But I am in agreement with one David Kiefaber of AdWeek who expressed surprise in the long-term delay for any company or agency to jump on a more social media-integrated TV spot. This goes way beyond the typical “like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter” statement that concludes many commercials these days.
Giving consumers the chance to believe that they can determine the outcome of ads that once would have seemed unrelatable to most people (unless you were hauling through European streets in a Mercedes at the ripe age range of mid-20s from the cops) provides higher involvement.
As an internet marketer, you already know the value of social media, and there’s really no need to get any deeper about that. What this new Mercedes-Benz experiment does show is how you can get more involved with other channels other than just the internet. The way in which you determine the applicability is of course at your discretion, but the point is that these mediums can still go together, even if internet marketing is seen as the “new” media.
This campaign shows that companies even as widespread as Mercedes-Benz are not afraid to the viewer in the driver seat (maybe that was the metaphor of the commercial?). Continue to find ways on how to fully optimize on the capabilities of Twitter and Facebook, and realize that they don’t have to be as mutually exclusive as we tend to believe.
Author Bio – Sophia Lirendo is a blogger in SEO, internet marketing and branding for Directv in California. Leave your thoughts on this article in the comments below.
