Mercedes-Benz generates a big plan and plays its own original marketing strategy while creating amazing campaigns all around the world.

Mercedes-Benz’s marketing strategy had been centered on the safety, luxury, and precision engineering of its cars. But, due to increasing competition in the luxury car industry and changing consumer attitudes, the brand decided to follow a different path to evolve its marketing strategy. With these changes, Mercedes-Benz’s marketing strategy turned into a more lifestyle-oriented one highlighting the approachable, energetic, and fun sides of the brand.

In 1993, Rosemarie Totzauer reported in Brandweek about the brand’s presence:

“Mercedes is attempting to reinvent itself, to evolve from a company long defined exclusively by its gas-guzzling luxury sedans and sports cars. The reborn Mercedes will offer a broader, more complete line of vehicles the rapidly changing, more complex, higher-risk luxury segment Mercedes-Benz, therefore, has to gear itself for a metamorphosis into a company known for value and diversity of vehicle concepts rather than for the prestige of the three-pointed star.”

To provide superior customer value to its target market, Mercedes-Benz has found it necessary to diversify its product range to meet what the automotive industry needs.

The brand targets people from different socio-economic levels, and in this regard, Mercedes-Benz’s market segmentation strategy plays an important role.

For instance, the C class is a product for the low end of the market, the E class is a mid-size luxury car, the S class includes high-end luxury vehicles that had previously comprised the total of the company’s product, the T class is designed for big families, and the SL class is specialized for sports cars market. With such variety, the brand appeals to more people, and increases its brand awareness and sales.

Examples of Mercedes Ads & Its Marketing Strategy Between the Lines

Mercedes-Benz is famous for its memorable advertisements. The brand highlights its features and the exclusive experiences it offers. Let’s look at some influential examples of Mercedes-Benz’s advertising campaigns and see what they say about its marketing strategy:

Knows the Target Market Inside Out

For the new SUV all-electric vehicle, Mercedes-Benz is targeting a young audience with a campaign to promote its first electric SUV, the EQC which features Grammy award-winning singer The Weeknd. The singer gets a creative director credit on the spot featuring his track “Blinding Lights”.

The ad, created by Mercedes-Benz’s lead European agency Antoni Garage in Berlin, starts with a kid seeing him charging his car and asking “Woah, do you drive electric?” There follows a series of montages of Mercedes-Benz vehicles through the different decades of its history before The Weeknd replies simply, “I drive a Mercedes.”

Promotes New Features

Highly inspired by the Netflix hit, Stranger Things, Mercedes-Benz advertises its parking feature. 

This ad is a retrospective of the classic American neighborhood with a group of kids with bicycles. Mercedes-Benz presents a feature called “Remote Parking Pilot” which means the car parks itself automatically with the help of Mercedes Me access.

Reflects Sensitivity on Gender Issues

To celebrate Pride Month, Mercedes revealed a transphobia mural for Toronto Pride. 

We know that Mercedes-Benz is good at tugging on emotions, so “Painted with Love” is one such example. Created by BBDO Canada, this ad is about revealing yourself in your true colors.

Combines Data with Style

Mercedes-Benz unveiled the Digital Light technology that aims to improve safety and communication with other drivers and pedestrians by projecting signals onto the road.

Announced at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, Digital Light is a new HD-quality headlamp. As it has been shared by Mercedes-Benz, the new HD headlamp features chips that work with over one million micro-mirrors, i.e. more than two million in total per vehicle. The brand thanks to integrated cameras and sensors, the headlights can show directional and warning icons by detecting other road users and evaluating the data using powerful computers.

For example, drivers can easily see pedestrians at night and headlights can show a pedestrian road with the help of Mercedes’ Digital Light. They can also be assisted with the symbols such as low-grip surface, construction site, rear-end collision, lane-keeping, blind spot, and speed symbol.

Foregrounds Personality in Advertising

To promote its new Mercedes A-Class, Mercedes-Benz’s campaign was named, “Just Like You”.

Created by Antoni Berlin, “Just Like You” focuses on what makes the new car unique, mentioning its ability to reach people who are living in the digital era and to understand their preferences and needs.

Offers More Space

With the “Life Gets Big” campaign, Mercedes-Benz presents its “All-New T-Class” offering more space to live and it puts safety and comfort first as always.

The commercial features people with different requirements to have a fulfilled life ranging from families with children and pets to sports teams and people with wheelchairs. Therefore, Mercedes takes a step towards being an inclusive brand.

Keeps You Awake

Mercedes-Benz explains what this commercial means with these words in their YouTube video description:

“Sometimes dream and reality blend into each other. Experience the story of a ride between what is real and what is not.”

The brand puts emphasis on safety and a driver’s responsibility to others while offering a solution to the risk of falling asleep at the wheel: microsleep detection.

BMW vs. Mercedes-Benz’s Marketing Strategies

BMW and Mercedes-Benz have been in competition with each other for a long time. Before the direction of its marketing strategy started to change in the 1990s, Mercedes-Benz had been focusing on white middle-aged males. Today, Mercedes-Benz works hard to communicate with younger generations, but BMW’s brand identity is still more related to youth and being dynamic.

In order to understand the difference between these two automotive brands, you can watch BMW’s commercials featuring couples with high energy who refer to the attractiveness of the brand. Therefore, you’ll see what is different in BMW’s digital marketing strategy when it’s compared to Mercedes Benz’s.

If you like to see more of Mercedes-Benz’s marketing campaigns, have a look and get inspired! If such influence is not enough and you need professional help to make memorable commercials as Mercedes-Benz do, you can reach out to top advertising agencies. And if you want to have a solid digital presence as Mercedes has, here’s the list of automotive marketing agencies!