The Mercedes-Benz GLE campaign: The new GLE: “Every journey makes you stronger”

03.

December 2018

Stuttgart

"In the long run" can be watched on YouTube at: http://mb4.me/GLE-TVC-Story

Stuttgart. The market launch of the new Mercedes-Benz GLE is accompanied by an international communications campaign. At the heart of the campaign is the nearly five-minute film "In the long run". It shows a modern family story about a strong woman and mother who is training hard for her dream: taking part in her first ever triathlon. With support from her husband she fights to the limit of her physical and mental capabilities and finally manages to participate in the race. But despite all this success there is an event from her past which is always with her like a dark shadow. The film reveals what this is. The Olympic triathlon champion and two-time winner of Ironman Hawaii, Mercedes-Benz Brand Ambassador Jan Frodeno, has a guest appearance.

From 3 December 2018 "In the long run" will be available on YouTube. The talented Swedish film maker Niclas Larsson directed the film, and Oscar winner Linus Sandgren was behind the camera. Filming took place in Austria. The title track "Cold Little Heart" was composed by the British soul singer Michael Kiwanuka and is taken from his album "Love & Hate". In addition to the long version, 30-seconders are also being used on TV as ads. Different cut variants can also be seen on social media.

"The GLE campaign is going live on air today, on the “ International Day of People with Disabilities”. In a short film Mercedes-Benz tells an authentic and emotional story depicting various aspects of strength. Far removed from a typical SUV ad, we are showcasing the GLE as a modern family car and strong companion in all circumstances", says Natanael Sijanta, Head of Marketing Communication Mercedes-Benz Cars. "As a responsible, approachable brand we are using the GLE campaign to present our new premium SUV with all its’ strengths – and at the same time we want to send out a powerful message on inclusion in everyday life."

The campaign: the GLE campaign is the first element in the new overarching communication strategy for the Mercedes-Benz SUVs. With the claim "All kind of strength" it focusses on human characteristics which match the respective SUV model. A new element of the campaign is also the cross-media approach. The visual worlds produced unfold their charm in all formats and serve the markets' specific requirements.

Further features of the campaign: the campaign is complemented by a web special and a series of print motifs. The webspecial at: http://mb4.me/gle-special encompasses a campaign page which puts the spotlight on the cinematic imagery of the new GLE.

The print motifs show the GLE on a road trip in realistic situations. The focus is on various features and their authentic use. The motifs were photographed by Uwe Düttmann. The award-winning photographer has been working for Mercedes-Benz for years and has also accompanied among others national and international productions like Stern, Rolling Stone, Vogue and Elle magazine.

Credits: the idea and concept for and implementation of the campaign were devised by antoni garage, the European creative lead agency for Mercedes-Benz.

The new GLE: The new Mercedes-Benz GLE is not only exceptionally dynamic and more comfortable on the road, it is also more competent off the beaten track than ever before. Its exterior design exudes strength and charisma and at the same time sets a new aerodynamic best in its segment with a cd value from 0.29. The interior is even more spacious, the second row of seats is electrically adjustable as an option and a third seat row is available on request. The GLE impresses with innovations such as E-ACTIVE BODY CONTROL. The fully networked hydropneumatic active suspension on a 48 V basis is available for the first time in combination with the air suspension, also newly developed. The new driver assistance systems further increase the level of active safety. The infotainment system has larger screens, and optionally comes with a full-colour head-up display with a resolution of 720 x 240 pixels and the MBUX interior assistant, which can recognise hand and arm movements and supports the driver's and front passenger's operating intentions.

The GLE is also more capable off-road than ever: available for the first time for models with six and eight-cylinder engines and the plug-in hybrid, fully variable all-wheel drive (Torque on Demand, TonD) controls the torque distribution between the front and rear axle from 0‑100 % depending on the selected driving mode. The new Mercedes-Benz GLE will be launched with two engine line-ups and will be delivered to customers from the beginning of 2019. You can find more information under: http://mb4.me/the-new-gle-product.

Diversity and inclusion at Daimler and Mercedes-Benz

The company very consciously values the differences in employees and uses their variety of experiences, perspectives and expertise. People with restrictions are an important part of the teams and firmly integrated into the staff membership. Every employee has special skills which she/he uses successfully in the company. In total there are currently more than 9,800 severely handicapped employees at Daimler in Germany.