Smart, #1 #3 #5 "in every size".

Smart. Well, yes, that Smart, and no, not that one. I know I am throwing a riddle but hear me out. Smart now comes "in every size". Straight, concise and to the point. No gimmicks, no over-creativity, no head-scratching. #1, #3, #5. To note, this is not your usual "Smart" car but rather an all-electric crossover developed through a joint venture between Mercedes-Benz and Geely (because yes, did you know that Smart was engineered by Mercedes Benz?).

So as I said, the previous Smart models need not apply. And the original brilliant campaign which turned every flaw in Smart as an asset does not work here. Case in point? One of my top 10 favorite ads: The sky is the same size in all convertibles.

Orienteuropa or the pullman line that joined Munich to Beirut

So how about that for an info! Apparently T. Gargour & Fils - synonymous to Mercedes-Benz and currently rebaptized TGF - actually had a Pullman line linking Munich to Beirut. The trip promises to go through 7  lands (Germany (Munich), Slovenia (Ljubljana, Bled), Austria (Vienna), Yugoslavia (Belgrade, Skopje)*, Greece (Kavalla), Turkey (Istanbul, Ankara, Adana), and Lebanon (Beirut)) in eleven days.

*Please note that the ad is undated but that currently Belgrade is in Serbia and Skopje is in Macedonia.

Interestingly some sources say that the line never happened, which apparently is not the case as the line was in effect functioning (interestingly, the German Kaiser Wilhem II actually dreamed of joining Germany with the orient, which makes this line a manifestation of his wishes). 

It is to note that the bus in the advertising is the O321H model, which was issued in 1955. This in itself gives the ad a certain baseline date, in addition other sources state the lines were functioning since 1955. Which makes the ad dated to that year by deduction.

Mercedes Benz Middle East - Superb Eid greetings.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is how we do it.

Mercedes Benz Middle East comes with the most equisite Eid el Adha greetings, emphasizing how much their product is a part of the pop cultural mesh of the region, along with (expected but right bang on target) typography, along with lovely but simply copy. I know, this is too much lavish for a 4-panel ad, but it is indeed worth it, especially that lately there is almost no such ads in Lebanon almost at all. Still, I thought the effort - specifically the pop art angle - was worth it from Mercedes, a brand truly part of the every day life of the region. 

She's Mercedes! - The story behind the Bertha Benz ad

Remember how enamored I was with the Mercedes Berta Benz ad? Now, thanks to our friends at Epica Awards we can have the behind the scenes scoop of how the genius ad, which one last year's Grand Prix at the Epica (where am a juror).

The story of Bertha Benz had been told before – but not like this. Those of you who are familiar with the history of Mercedes-Benz may have already heard of Bertha. The wife and business partner of Karl Benz, she invested in his company and supported him as he began to work on his first “horseless carriage”, ultimately known as the Benz-Patent Motorwagen.

Bertha felt the prototype motorcar had great potential, but Karl himself was apparently less convinced of its commercial future. To prove him wrong – and buoy him up – Bertha decided to use the car to visit her mother, which would involve driving 66 miles (or 106 kilometres) from Mannheim to Pforzheim. Such a trip had never before been attempted by automobile.

Without informing Karl – or the authorities, making the trip technically illegal – on August 5 1888 Bertha took her two sons Richard, 13 and Eugen, 15, and set off. Many of the adventures she had along the way made it into the award-winning commercial that brought her story to a wider public.

For example, Bertha really did stop at a pharmacy to buy ligroin, the car’s fuel. She also unblocked a fuel line with a hat pin and used her garter for improvised insulation. One event the film doesn’t show is the failure of the car’s wooden brakes. Bertha then visited a cobbler to fit them with leather, thus inventing brake pads.

But the essence of Bertha is all up there on the screen. In the hands of the agency Antoni and director Sebastian Strasser it becomes a vivid costume drama, full of conflict and incident.

Even the little girl who watches when the car rolls into town, initially proclaiming that it’s driven by “a witch”, has a mini character arc and becomes a Bertha fan.

To find out more about the film’s genesis, Mark Tungate -editorial durector of the Epica Awards - spoke to Damir Maric, head of global campaigns and product content at Mercedes-Benz AG

When and how did the idea of telling Bertha’s story on film first arise?
Part of our approach to becoming the most loved luxury brand is to tell great brand stories as well as product-centric communication. It occurred to us that while Bertha’s story is well known internally, there was little awareness externally. Since it is a true and exceptional story, as well as a bold statement for our brand, we decided to draw attention to it and spread it. The video features a powerful female brand icon who represents our DNA. It seemed right to link the launch to International Women’s Day in 2019. Now it’s been proven: “She’s Mercedes!”

How did you, the agency and the director manage to create such an authentic atmosphere in the film?
From the very beginning it was the overall goal to create a cinematic atmosphere. We wanted to get a look that recalls popular series more than traditional TV commercials. We were very impressed by the director’s interpretation of the story and strongly believed in his vision. Following his idea demanded trust from everybody involved, since the mood of the world he wanted to create in the film was raw and unpolished. In our opinion, it’s exactly this rawness and the contrast between back in time and now that makes this production outstanding.

Automotive advertising has traditionally targeted male consumers. What encouraged you to take a different approach?
In my opinion, the days of male dominance in our industry are over. It’s just not the case anymore. Mercedes-Benz will be transformed into a sustainable modern luxury brand and therefore appeal to anybody who shares our passion for design, craftsmanship, innovation and tech. Moreover, our successful initiative “She’s Mercedes” outlines the importance of female customers for our brand.


What has been the reaction among audiences?
There have been great responses: people have been surprised, inspired and impressed by this true story. A lot of the viewers thought this is a trailer for a new Netflix show and we got lots of requests for sequels! We take this as a compliment and are proud of our history – great brands not only inform their customers but entertain and inspire them. We used a similar recipe for the other long formats we made for the car models GLE and CLA.