“Justify nothing” – the Mercedes-Benz B-Class campaign: The new B-Class: arrival in the 21st Century

05.

February 2019

Stuttgart

The B-Class spot can be viewed on TV and also on YouTube.

Stuttgart. From 4 February, the TV spot accompanies the market launch of the new Mercedes-Benz B-Class on TV and online. In the B-Class webhub, the almost two-minute is available from today on. Furthermore, three 30-second variants focussing on the topics safety, MBUX and practicality can be seen on TV and online. From 7 February, cinema-goers can also see the spot.

The central character in the one-minute TV spot is a university professor who takes his small grandson to work with him. Together the duo has an eventful day, and attracts surprised glances e.g. during a lecture, when the young guest pipes up very audibly from his grandfather's bum bag. At the end of the day they review the events during a ride in the B-Class. This is combined with impressions of the day using photos from the professor's relationship with his daughter, which he concludes with the remark that in the 21st Century, nobody has to justify anything any longer – either for decisions or for a personal lifestyle. In line with this, the campaign claim is "Justify nothing". In Germany the campaign has the theme "For everything that comes". More about this can be found in the B-Class webhub.

The campaign films were directed by the London-based duo D.A.R.Y.L. It was created by an award-winning film crew (Sundance Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival) which included cameraman Lol Crowley (4 Lions), production designer Jacqueline Abrahams (The Lobster), costume designer Hannah Edwards and Sam Ostrove, who was e.g. responsible for the screenplay of the much-acclaimed Jay Z & Beyoncé music video "Apes**t". The main role of the professor was played by the Irish theatre and film actor David Wilmot, who will soon also appear in the series "The Crown", which was awarded a Golden Globe in 2017. The musical background to the TV spot and the online short versions of the film is the song "L.U.V." by the young British Indie-Pop band Catholic Action from Glasgow. The music in the long version of the launch film is a composition by Orlando Weeks, A British Indie-Rock singer.

The films are available in variable lengths for different needs. The TV spot will also be screened in German cinemas. In addition there are three 30-second product TVCs as variants of the long version: "Costume" is about a father who dresses up as a princess for his daughter. In the film "Kiss", a "pregnant" couple unselfconsciously kiss in public. The TV spot "Prof" portrays a professor who takes his grandson to work with him. The three TVCs have different main themes – safety, MBUX and practicality. "The campaign shows why the new B-Class is the ideal companion for a wide range of target groups," says Bettina Fetzer, Vice President Marketing Mercedes-Benz Cars. "We also want to specifically address young families with the new model. This is why it was important to me and my team to position it as the perfect companion for every age and situation in life."

The aim of the B-Class campaign is to attract new customer groups to the sports tourer, and especially young families. They are addressed with a tonality that awakens positive feelings. The content's insights into various life situations create a human-centred and authentic impression, with surprising moments.

Further features of the campaign: An extensive webspecial with the above product films, snippets and extensive print motifs rounds off the campaign.

The B-Class webhub presents the sports tourer with a series of specially created images, while the product page describes the features: https://www.mercedes-benz.com/b-klasse

Along the same lines as the superordinate campaign theme, the print motifs also portray different life situations that are quite common in the 21st Century, thanks to the free choice of lifestyle. The motifs were photographed by the Briton Dan Burn-Forti.

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

The new B-Class: The new Mercedes-Benz B-Class puts the emphasis on sport with the Sports Tourer. It looks more dynamic than its predecessor and is more agile on the road while offering greater comfort and space. The transverse-mounted version of the two-litre OM 654 diesel engine model series with 110 kW and 140 kW celebrates a clean debút: This engine already fulfils the Euro 6d norm, which will be mandatory for new models as of 2020. The eight-speed dual-clutch transmission also makes its debut. The avant-garde interior of the B-Class ensures a unique feeling of spaciousness with the distinctive design of the instrument panel. The intuitive user interface of the adaptive MBUX multimedia system is ground-breaking. Its strengths include brilliant graphics, "Hey Mercedes" voice control, a standard touch screen and functions such as MBUX Augmented Reality. State-of-the-art driving assistance systems give the B-Class one of the highest standards of active safety in the segment with functions carried over from the S-Class. The new B-Class has been orderable since 3 December 2018, with deliveries due to begin in February 2019.