A Class – The Challenge might just be the most unconventional project ever created for the automobile sector. With the launch of the new A-Class, Mercedes-Benz wanted to take on their competitors in a new market segment.
At the Vogue Fashion Night Out, 5 young women dressed in futuristic clothing, 4 A-Classes with Star Drivers behind the wheel, and 6 teams of guerrillas launched an attack on the competitors. They roamed the streets of the Vogue Night armed with a Key Detector. People were invited to insert their car keys into the detector. If the key was a BMW, AUDI or ALFA ROMEO the detector lit up, and participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire on an iPad in return for a drive aboard an A-Class.
The application used for the questionnaire is based on real product information and highlighted the superiority of the A-Class over its competitors.
Participants were then offered the chance to test the new A-Class as a passenger. Inside the car, the young, qualified Star Drivers explained the features of the car in detail as they drove along a predetermined route. Each car could hold up to 4 people, and had a car camera on-board to capture the passengers’ comments about the experience. Once on the road, the passengers were given the opportunity to sign up for a classic test drive.
In the next stage, the guerilla action took place.
6 teams roamed Rome and Milan by night covering the logos of competitors’ cars with a magnet in the shape of the Mercedes Star bearing the message: “What you need is a real star”. The web address on the back of the magnets took the car owners to a landing page, offering them an exclusive promotion.