{"id":341,"date":"2022-02-17T00:00:28","date_gmt":"2022-02-17T05:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/?p=341"},"modified":"2022-02-16T16:46:16","modified_gmt":"2022-02-16T21:46:16","slug":"mercedes-benz-immortal-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/mercedes-benz-immortal-love\/","title":{"rendered":"The Brand That Bites Back"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"boldgrid-section\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"row\" style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 15px;\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-sm-12\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_342\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-342\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-342 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/The-Brand-that-Bites-Back.png\" alt=\"Mercedes-Benz coming out of red fog with the text &quot;the brand that bites back&quot;\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/The-Brand-that-Bites-Back.png 1200w, https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/The-Brand-that-Bites-Back-300x157.png 300w, https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/The-Brand-that-Bites-Back-1024x536.png 1024w, https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/The-Brand-that-Bites-Back-768x402.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-342\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photography and editing by Lia Esposito<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\" style=\"padding-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 5px;\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-sm-12\">\n<h2 class=\"\"><span style=\"color: #e24c33;\">Mercedes-Benz Immortal Love<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"boldgrid-section\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"row\" style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-sm-6 col-xs-12\">\n<p class=\"\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are vampires coming back? Between Robert Pattinson\u2019s latest fight club-esque <span style=\"color: #3aa7f1;\"><a style=\"color: #3aa7f1;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gq.com\/story\/robert-pattinson-march-cover-profile\/amp\">GQ shoot<\/a><\/span> and Mercedes-Benz\u2019s latest campaign, it seems like you might want to rewatch Twilight. <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although I think of car companies having a monopoly on the Fourth of July, Memorial Day and Christmas, Mercedes-Benz made a statement for Valentine\u2019s Day this year. Fit for Shakespeare himself, Mercedes-Benz put a spin on the classic love story of Romeo and Juliet as vampires with its new campaign: \u201c<span style=\"color: #3aa7f1;\"><a style=\"color: #3aa7f1;\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/HSYg-YNS6bc\">Immortal Love<\/a><\/span>.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\" style=\"padding-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 15px;\">\n<div class=\"col-md-2 col-sm-12 col-xs-12\">\n<p class=\"\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-md-8 col-sm-6 col-xs-12\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Immortal Love x G-Class\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/HSYg-YNS6bc?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/liaesposito.com\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-md-2 col-sm-6 col-xs-12\">\n<p class=\"\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\" style=\"padding-bottom: 35px; padding-top: 15px;\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-sm-6 col-xs-12 align-column-center\">\n<p class=\"\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The campaign is the latest attempt to reinvent Mercedes-Benz as a trendy yet timeless luxury. The concept was built around the idea that 80% of G-Class models remain on the roads today since debuting in 1979. The eight-minute short film is the next \u201c<span style=\"color: #3aa7f1;\"><a style=\"color: #3aa7f1;\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/tollGa3S0o8\">All Too Well<\/a><\/span>\u201d styled take on romantic branded storytelling. The ad was created by <span style=\"color: #3aa7f1;\"><a style=\"color: #3aa7f1;\" href=\"https:\/\/antoni.de\">Berlin Agency Antoni<\/a><\/span> and follows the story of a reimagined Romeo and Juliet. The portrayal of Juliet is a pop star with a vampire double-life while Romeo is a naive mortal, in awe of her glamorous life. The film begins with a homemade-style video with the two characters declaring that nothing lasts forever. Then the video shifts to a futuristic, dystopian concert, where he tries to see her, and they are quickly reminded that they cannot be together. They then leave the venue in G-Class luxury cars. He tries to understand why they cannot be together in an argument and discovers that she is hiding her birthday from him. She maneuvers the car in the woods as she decides that she will bring him to the party to lose the convoy of various colored G-Class Mercedes. They get out of the car, and she starts to tell Romeo part of who she is. They then arrive at the party, and she tells him to stay close to her. The cinematography makes the party seem almost euphoric and stylistically reminds me of the Capital citizens from the Hunger Games. She blows out the 463 candles on her cake, and Romeo is nearly bit by another vampire partygoer, but Juliet swooped in to save him. At this moment, they decide for their love to be eternal; she bites him, turning him into a vampire. They leave the party in their G-Class Mercedes, and the following text appears: \u201cFor those who live forever: The Immortal G-Class #StrongerThanTime.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\" style=\"padding-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 0px;\">\n<div class=\"col-md-1 col-sm-12 col-xs-12\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-md-10 col-xs-12 col-sm-12\">\n<h3 class=\"\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400; color: #e24c33;\">Along with the film, the campaign will include social media ads featuring images of G-Class cars alongside vampires.<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-md-1 col-sm-12 col-xs-12\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\" style=\"padding-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 35px;\">\n<div class=\"col-md-4 col-sm-4 col-xs-12\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_358\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-358\" style=\"width: 217px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CZ-sT7YNB8p\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-358 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_2044-217x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"217\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_2044-217x300.jpg 217w, https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_2044-741x1024.jpg 741w, https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_2044-768x1061.jpg 768w, https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_2044-1111x1536.jpg 1111w, https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_2044.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 217px) 100vw, 217px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-358\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mercedes-Benz Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-md-4 col-sm-4 col-xs-12\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_360\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-360\" style=\"width: 216px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CZ-i5jhNRu_\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-360 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_2045-216x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"216\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_2045-216x300.jpg 216w, https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_2045-737x1024.jpg 737w, https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_2045-768x1067.jpg 768w, https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_2045-1105x1536.jpg 1105w, https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_2045.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 216px) 100vw, 216px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-360\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mercedes-Benz Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-md-4 col-sm-4 col-xs-12\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_359\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-359\" style=\"width: 216px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/CZ-i5jhNRu_\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-359 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_2043-216x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"216\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_2043-216x300.jpg 216w, https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_2043-737x1024.jpg 737w, https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_2043-768x1067.jpg 768w, https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_2043-1105x1536.jpg 1105w, https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/IMG_2043.jpg 1170w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 216px) 100vw, 216px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-359\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Mercedes-Benz Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\" style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 35px;\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-sm-12\">\n<p class=\"\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If I were an immortal vampire, Mercedes-Benz would have all my money, and I would have a G-Wagon; that is precisely what Mercedes-Benz was trying to accomplish. The brand has struggled to redefine its image to appeal to a younger demographic. \u201cStereotypically being a \u2018stuffy,\u2019 \u2018old- fashioned\u2019 brand, Mercedes-Benz managed to reduce the average age of their customers from 57 to 46 years old through a range of marketing strategies,\u201d according to a <span style=\"color: #3aa7f1;\"><a style=\"color: #3aa7f1;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atlantis-press.com\/article\/125966282.pdf\">case study<\/a><\/span> of the Mercedes-Benz US market. When you think of the primary audience segments for the Mercedes-Benz brand, there are two essential publics: middle-aged people above 40 and 25 to 40-year-olds. The <span style=\"color: #3aa7f1;\"><a style=\"color: #3aa7f1;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.atlantis-press.com\/article\/125966282.pdf\">study<\/a><\/span> explained that \u201cyoung people aged from 25-40 are increasingly essential markets as some have high purchasing power while others can influence the decisions of their friends and families.\u201d This ad campaign plays into this demographic, appealing to this glamorous lifestyle and romantic storyline.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"boldgrid-section\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"row\" style=\"padding-top: 15px; padding-bottom: 15px;\">\n<div class=\"col-md-2 col-sm-12 col-xs-12\">\n<p class=\"\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-md-8 col-sm-6 col-xs-12\">\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Presentation Design Project 4: Mercedes-Benz Commercial\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/QrWJmAERlZE?feature=oembed&enablejsapi=1&origin=https:\/\/liaesposito.com\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-md-2 col-sm-6 col-xs-12\">\n<p class=\"\">\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\" style=\"padding-bottom: 35px; padding-top: 10px;\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-sm-6 col-xs-12\">\n<p class=\"\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I love this campaign for the many reasons that drove me to make the artistic choices I did for my own Mercedes-Benz campaign. In <span style=\"color: #3aa7f1;\"><a style=\"color: #3aa7f1;\" href=\"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/mejo-334-presentation-design\/\">MEJO 334: Presentation Design<\/a><\/span>, we were challenged to create a 30-second ad spot for a brand of our choice. We could use stock videos, footage we shot ourselves or a combination thereof. This project taught me the power of an idea, iPhone, tripod and freshly washed luxury car. The \u201c<span style=\"color: #3aa7f1;\"><a style=\"color: #3aa7f1;\" href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/QrWJmAERlZE\">Bet on Mercedes-Benz<\/a><\/span>\u201d campaign centered around luxury and power by recognizing the roots from which the car industry originated and how far they have come. The black and white pays homage to the sophisticated brand and symbolizes the industry\u2019s past; the colorized choices are supposed to symbolize coming into the modern era. From the dramatic violins, quick cuts, and text that all refer back to horses somehow, the video is meant to present Mercedes-Benz as a consumer\u2019s best \u201cbet\u201d when choosing their next driving experience. Horses may not be vampires, but I saw some similarities with the transitions, uses of color and tone of the text. As Mercedes-Benz had to disclose that the ad had been \u201cfilmed with professional drivers on a closed road,\u201d I had to disclose to my Grandma, the car\u2019s owner, that I sped everything up in post-production.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"boldgrid-section\">\n<div class=\"container\">\n<div class=\"row\" style=\"padding-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 35px;\">\n<div class=\"col-md-3 col-sm-6 col-xs-12 align-column-center\">\n<p class=\"\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: 0px;\">\u00a0\u00a0<script src=\"https:\/\/platform.linkedin.com\/badges\/js\/profile.js\" async=\"\" defer=\"\" type=\"text\/javascript\"><\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"badge-base LI-profile-badge\" data-locale=\"en_US\" data-size=\"medium\" data-theme=\"light\" data-type=\"VERTICAL\" data-vanity=\"lia-esposito\" data-version=\"v1\">\n<p class=\"mod-reset\"><a class=\"badge-base__link LI-simple-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/lia-esposito?trk=profile-badge\">Lia Esposito<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-md-5 col-sm-6 col-xs-12 align-column-center\">\n<h3 class=\"\">More About The Author<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\">Lia Esposito is a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill pursuing a degree in Media and Journalism concentrating in Advertising and Public Relations with an English Minor. She is currently a social media strategist in the fintech industry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"col-md-4 col-sm-12 col-xs-12\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mercedes-Benz Immortal Love Are vampires coming back? Between Robert Pattinson\u2019s latest fight club-esque GQ shoot and Mercedes-Benz\u2019s latest campaign, it seems like you might want to rewatch Twilight. Although I think of car companies having a monopoly on the Fourth of July, Memorial Day and&nbsp;<a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/mercedes-benz-immortal-love\/\">&hellip;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":342,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[55,57,54,43,56,59,60,42,58,15,16],"class_list":["post-341","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brand-trends","tag-ad","tag-ad-campaign","tag-advertising","tag-brand","tag-campaign","tag-cars","tag-film","tag-marketing","tag-mercedes-benz","tag-pop-culture","tag-trends"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":406,"href":"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341\/revisions\/406"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/342"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liaesposito.com\/streamingconsciousness\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}