Test Drive
Issue 21 | December 2011
Agency
140 BBDO Cape Town
Creative Team
Alexis Beckett, Johan Schwella, Mike Pearson, Mike Schalit, Ivan Johnson
Production Team
Clinton Mitri, Groundglass, Barry White, Prezence Duvan Durand, Thomas Ferreira, Daneel Malgas
Date
April 2011
Background
The Mercedes-Ben CL 63 AMG costs over 2 million Rand or $250,000 US putting it well out of reach of most car-buyers. It is also incredibly intimidating to walk into a dealership and ask for a test drive.
The task, then, was for a print ad that had to worker harder than any previous print ad had worked.
Idea
The creative execution was an interactive ad placed in Car Magazine, South Africa’s top motoring publication. Any reader with a smartphone could now experience the unprecedented power of the flagship Mercedes.
By adding sound and movement to a passive print ad, 400 kilowatts became more than just a number. Readers were able to see and hear the awesome acceleration and feel enough of the power to be surprised by the fuel efficiency.
More than that, using the app meant anyone could now test drive a car that had been beyond their reach.
Results
Only five days after hitting the shelves, over 10% of Car Magazine’s subscriber base had viewed the video, actively engaging with the brand.
Not bad for an elitist car which normally elicits a limited response in South Africa.
Media interest and test drive bookings also reached an all-time high even within such a short space of time.
Our Thoughts
We saw a few print ads like this on the judging table in Cannes, where I was on the Direct Lions jury, and while this example for Mercedes wasn’t the very best one we saw, it’s still a fine example of the print/digital combination (and the only one submitted to Directory). Creatively, we’re always looking for ways to make a print ad more interesting and immersive, so the addition of digital technology to a simple newspaper page is smart thinking. Now we just need to evolve this.