Mercedes-AMG GT is too fast for its own ad

Client: Mercedes-Benz

Agency: BBDO China

Market: China

Campaign scope: Television commercial, dedicated online video, cinema, print, outdoor.

Details: The two spots position the car as a machine that’s "meant to be experienced, not merely shown off", according to the agency. The teaser (above), which debuted in cinemas and online, is predicated on the idea that the car proved too fast for the commercial camera crew to keep up with, making life difficult for the voiceover man when it came time to do his part. The launch TVC (below) focuses on the pained reactions of the owners of other supercars when they learn of the AMG's specs.     

Press release quote: Arthur Tsang, Chief Creative Officer, BBDO Beijing: “There is a common perception that most supercar owners care more about showing off than driving performance. We therefore tapped into the deep-seated truth that most supercar drivers never know how to unleash their car’s true potential." 

Campaign Asia Pacific's comments: The teaser ad (above) brilliantly accentuates the stated concept of "substance over specs" (to use the agency's words) by subverting the conventions of vehicle advertising. We love it. However, that success just makes the actual launch TVC (below) all the more disappointing. It's quite funny, and we get that we're supposed to think all the owners of other cars are losers because they're obsessed with specs—while the Mercedes-AMG driver is the only real enthusiast. But at the same time, the ad delivers a lot of information about the specs of the Mercedes-AMG GT. And we don't think you can both condemn and celebrate the numbers at the same time.

CREDITS

Chief Creative Officer - Arthur Tsang
Creative Directors - Martin Gruenhoff, Jan-Hendrik Ott
Art Director - Martin Gruenhoff
Copywriters - Arthur Tsang, Jan-Hendrik Ott
Agency Producer - Elaine Lee
Co-Managing Director - Raul Villegas
Group Account Director - Digi Wu
Account Director - Grace Zhang
Senior Account Manager - Miki Liu