BBDO

BBDO Stuttgart for Mercedes Benz.

Car ads that begin without showing the actual car are few and far between, but often those spots are the most memorable because they have a greater chance of breaking through the clutter of auto ads on TV. Mercedes usually takes a more conventional route with their advertising; oftentimes a Mercedes spot involves winding roads, a lot of chrome, and a distinguished Euro accent. This spot immediately sets itself apart from the pack in that it tells a story and makes the commercial about more than just selling a car. By giving the ad more relevance to its viewing audience, people are more inclined to take an interest in the ad because it's not about selling a Mercedes anymore, it's about making the air cleaner so the birds can breathe! And in the P.C. world we live in today, no one wants to be responsible for not being environmentally conscious, not to mention assuming responsibility for choking birds! What really amazes me in this ad is that when they do get around to showing an actual car, it is the fugliest car created by humans. The giant box on wheels shown in this ad is about as unattractive as you can get for a vehicle, and I think I would be a little bit nervous to even use it in an ad. I understand that using the van clearly gets the point across that even a big mother trucker like that van can run responsibly and do its part not to pollute. Still, the van could in no way fit cohesively into the typical Mercedes spots with sophisticated cars and piano music, so Mercedes had to do something different for this spot. This has a completely different message than most Mercedes ads, and the character of the car somehow fits decently into the "going green" theme of the spot.