Mercedes-Benz has launched the most extensive content creation in the history of the brand. “Grow Up.” features the five models of the compact-car family and more than 100 moving-image sequences and over 90 lifestyle and product images, stories of a new generation will be told until the end of this year. The campaign focuses on people caught between the coolness of adolescence and the squareness of adulthood who embody the attitude to life of the new compacts. One of the main characters is the US rapper A$AP Rocky.
“‘Grow up.’ is much more than a major campaign about model series. It is a further move forward by the brand as a whole towards more modernity, progressivism and dynamism across the entire brand identity of Mercedes-Benz,” says Dr. Jens Thiemer, Vice President Marketing Mercedes-Benz Cars, outlining the goal of the campaign. “With ‘Grow up.’, we are reinterpreting traditional values and attitudes towards Mercedes while showcasing their modern-day interpretation and relevance within generations x and y. Realised in collaboration with our agency antoni, ‘Grow up.’ is an unconventional campaign, which, in terms of its consistent digital focus and the mechanics of its content, does not immediately come across as advertising.”
Under the campaign hub www.mercedes-benz.com/growup, the user explores the whole world of “Grow up.” The campaign stages and together personalizes the five models of the compact-car family in short films. Directed by the award-winning Swedish director Gustav Johansson (via Iconoclast Germany GmbH), the films present images with a young, authentic look. With no artificial light or staged posing, the vehicles are included in the action in a way that seems natural. The campaign is therefore surprising and describes the world of Mercedes Benz designed to make a young, self-assured generation of “grown ups” enthusiastic about the brand.
The attitude towards life of the new generation of young grown-ups is exemplified by the US rapper A$AP Rocky. The film (posted above) about the CLA Coupé tells the previously untold story of how the musician and fashion icon rose from Harlem to the world stage.
Other characters in the films include the actress Lucy Walters, the actress and producer Julia Morrison, the actress and director Anna Zahn, as well as the actor John Rue of “House of Cards” fame.
All the content will be played on the relevant digital platforms for the target groups so as to generate traffic for the campaign hub. The films with a length of between three and five minutes and up to 50 short moving-image sequences, so-called “moments”, and motifs ensure continuous visibility and attention. They intentionally play with contradictions and contrasts. For example, two young people kissing in a car are contrasted with the motto “Grow up. Start a family”. And the image of a wild party carries the title “Grow up. Work hard”. The campaign is extended in the digital world through media and content cooperation with the Vice content network, one of the most successful digital content networks in the areas of fashion, art, film, music and technology.
To learn more about the campaign visit www.mercedes-benz.com/growup. The concept and design of the campaign are by Mercedes-Benz’s European leading agency antoni in Berlin. The campaign was produced by the Berlin-based film producer Iconoclast. The digital campaign hub was assisted by Pixelpark AG.
Credits are posted at the bottom of this page.
Credits:
Creative agency: antoni GmbH
Chief Creative Officer, Founder: André Kemper
Managing Partner, Founder: Dr. Tonio Kröger
Executive Creative Director: Matthias Schmidt, Martin Pross
Creative Director: Veit Moeller
Art Director: Sol Oh
Writer: Sebastian Lyman
Executive Producer: Mark Róta
Creative Director Digital: Thomas Heinz, Veit Moeller
Head of Digital Design: Nuno Marcelino
Production: Iconoclast Germany GmbH
Managing Director: Nils Schwemer, Nicolas Lhermitte
Director: Gustav Johansson
Executive Producer: Jan Dressler
Line Producer: Tim Augustin, Björn Krüger
Director of Photography: Niklas Johansson
Music (stories): Universal Music Publishing AB
Score Composer: Petter Winnberg, Adam Hagstrand, Petter Tarland
Written by: Petter Winnberg, Amanda Bergman
Artists:Petter Sebastian feat. MishCatt,
Petter Sebastian feat. El Pero Del Mar,
Petter Sebastian feat. Amanda Bergman,
Petter Sebastian feat. Kleerup
Music (anthem): Universal Music Publishing AB
Song: Let me try
Production (Stills): Iconoclast Germany GmbH
Executive Producer: Jan Dressler, Felix Mondino
Photographer: Alice Moitié
Online/Web Special: Pixelpark AG
Project Manager: Maximilian Burkert
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