Grow Up Your Own Way with a new generation

Grow Up Your Own Way with a new generation

May 19, 2017 • News

Mercedes-Benz South Africa Coolest Motor Vehicle – Generation Next awards

With ’Grow up Your Own Way‘, Mercedes-Benz is taking a new approach to marketing communications. The most extensive content creation in the history of the brand has been realised for the four models of the compact-car family. With more provocative imaging and lifestyle and product that showcases stories of a new generation, ‘Grow Up Your Own Way’ 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 young local rapper known as ‘Nasty C’.

“’Grow Up Your Own Way‘ 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 Selvin Govender, Marketing Director, Mercedes-Benz Cars, outlining the goal of the campaign. “With ‘Grow Up Your Own Way’, we are reinterpreting traditional values and attitudes towards Mercedes-Benz while showcasing their modern-day interpretation and relevance within generations X and Y. Realised in collaboration with our agency, ‘Grow Up Your Own Way’ 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.”

“There are a number of activities where we see the next generation taking centre stage. Now in its 13th year, the annual youth trends and insights gathering were held at the Sandton Convention Centre on May 11. We were delighted to receive the Generation Next award for the “Coolest Motor Vehicle”. Generation Next has become an industry performance benchmark for top performing South African brands,” adds Govender.

The annual survey, commissioned by the Sunday Times and conducted by HDI Youth Marketeers is the leading barometer of youth sentiment towards brands and celebrities in South Africa. Nearly 12,000 youths aged between 8 – 23 years, across urban and peri-urban parts South Africa, were polled.

The Sunday Times Generation Next survey is made available to the industry and delivers relevant data on the perceptions and motivations behind the brand choices of the youth. The insights delivered are most helpful to marketers and advertisers as they position their marketing activities.

Digital Facebook chat bot as heart of the campaign https://www.mbworld.co.za/growup/

Under the Facebook chat bot campaign hub www.mbworld.co.za/group, the user explores the whole world of ’Grow Up Your Own Way’. The campaign stages and personalises the four models of the compact-car family. They converse with the audience in a way to which young people and present-day adolescents can relate – with all the associated highs and lows. The Facebook chat bot 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 new faces of contemporary luxury

The attitude towards life of the new generation of young grown-ups is exemplified by the local South African rapper ‘Nasty C’, who recently performed at the local media introduction of the New Generation Compact Cars including the facelifted GLA-Class. His style and persona depict how as a musician and fashion icon, he rose from nowhere to the musical stage at such a young age.

The Mercedes-Benz ’Grow Up Your Own Way‘ campaign uses a digital campaign that will see the Facebook messenger bot being the primary platform for communications. Nasty C is a South African rapper who grew up his own way. The campaign will encourage consumers to engage with Nasty C and get some quirky insights on ’How to grow up with Nasty C’.

Nasty C provides know-how on how to ’Grow up your own way‘ – get a job, get a house, dress well, start a family, etc. … of course all delivered in Nasty C’s signature style and a fun sense of humour.

The digital campaign features digital banners, Facebook adverts and YouTube pre-roll adverts, all of which will support and push people to experience how Nasty C has grown up his own way.

The campaign launched with the Facebook chat bot that makes people curious to learn more. On the internet, those who are interested can visit www.mbworld.co.za/growup not just for in-depth product information, but also for flexible content additions on the product range. ’Grow Up Your Own Way‘ will showcase the A-Class, B-Class, CLA and GLA compact models until the end of this year.

Grow Up Your Own Way with a new generation https://t.co/7F3B12ndIf #ArriveAlive @MercedesBenz_SA pic.twitter.com/DAtdWL78uO

— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) May 19, 2017