2. Introduction
• In this presentation we review the communication delivered by the main
competitors in the premium segment of the car market in 2007
• Each brand is analyzed by the values it communicates, and especially by
the efficiency of such communication; the values we chose come from
print ads deployed by the manufacturers and thus represent the
consumer's view on the market
• Each of the brand's communication analysis is divided into two parts:
– elements of the communication illustrating the values represented by the
brand which are divided into four groups: brand positioning/slogan, brand
lines, body copy and BTL
– pros and contras of the brand's communication with commentary
• In the final part we discuss Mercedes-Benz communication and make
recommendations on 2009 strategy
• Please use buttons where available
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6. Communication Pros
communication of brand
values via service ads
not just brand
communication but
rather brand
experience
communication
touching upon a wide
variety of topics
supporting consumer loyalty
via corporate magazine ads
S-models emphasize sport
dimension of the brand and
serve as locomotives for
respective model lines
7. Communication Pros
special package ads featuring appropriate
visual support (e.g., DTM Edition) accentuate
both brand values and package's essence
distinctive dealer template differs markedly
from brand's campaigns (red line in the
bottom, print structure)
8. Communication Cons
most of the stories
are simply dull
excessive amount of idle pompous
phrases in body copy looks fossil
and annoys
16. Communication Pros
accented aesthetic value of
executions emphasizes the
premium qualities of the
brand
different 'driving pleasure'
concept interpretation depending
on carline contributes to
communication consistency
17. Communication Pros
international awards
emphasize status of the
cars and their owners and
serve as additional RTB
utilization of the Formula 1
halo vehicle emphasizes
original spare parts and service sporty character of the
promotion makes the brand brand
experience more attractive
18. Communication Cons
communication based mostly on
product attributes, not the
consumer values
tonality of a number of
executions is vague and
inconsistent
unwitty attempt to turn product
weakness (lack of localized
GPS) into advantage – as a
result even those who didn’t
know about it do now
19. Sales
C+ D+ E+ F+ Roadster Compact coupe Coupe Compact SUV Fullsize SUV
BMW 1 (21%) 3 (17%) 5 (20%) 7 (11%) Z4 (20%) 3 Coupe (75%) 6 (41%) X3 (100%) X5 (32%)
14008 1089 2653 2963 772 143 1159 402 2118 2709
18000
16000
14000
12000 BMW
10000
Сегмент (6 брендов)
8000
6000 Mercedes
4000
2000
0
27. Communication Pros
aggressive
promotion of hybrid
engines
accentuates
innovative qualities
of the brand
template update
(‘innovations belt’ in
the top of the print)
softens the overall
'sterility' of the
messages
28. Communication Cons
monochrome color
scheme of executions
prevents them from
standing out of the clutter
excessive amount of text in body
copy looks fossil
29. Sales
D+ E+ F+ Coupe Midsize SUV Fullsize SUV
Lexus IS 15% GS 13% LS 20% SC 6% RX 37% LX 8%
13148 2450 1981 1407 63 6575 672
20000
18000
16000
14000
12000 Lexus
10000 Сегмент (6 брендов)
8000 Mercedes
6000
4000
2000
0
D+ E+ F+ Coupe Midsize SUV Fullsize SUV
35. Communication Pros
dedicated attention to
safety (while almost all the
new cars get at least 4
EUROCAP stars)
emphasizes brand heritage
C30 campaign not only made
the model one of the most
successful in its class but also
updated brand perception by
the young people due to its
provoking executions
36. Communication Pros
Dima Bilan as a
C30 spokesperson
made the
campaign more
expressive
cultural activities help to
make the new positioning
(‘Life is beautiful…’) more
consistent and contribute to
core TA’s loyalty
lifestyle communication
focusing on certain human
values makes the
campaigns more relevant
for the TA
37. Communication Cons
brand values communication
inconsistency (both fragments
belong to one ad)
incomprehensible stories
and headlines of the
messages
44. Communication Pros
unique color
themes and titles
intended to
differentiate car
models from each
other
large part of the communication dedicated
to cars’ interior emphasizes luxurious
qualities of the brand
45. Communication Cons
communication is overweighed with
different values (even within one model)
making brand image vague for the
consumer
most of the
communication is
executed in the tonality
of a brochure
46. Sales
D+ E+ Midsize SUV Fullsize SUV
Infiniti G35 (5%) M (8%) FX (19%) QX (2%)
5540 834 1172 3355 179
20000
18000
16000
14000
12000 Infiniti
10000 Сегмент (6 брендов)
8000 Mercedes
6000
4000
2000
0
D+ E+ Midsize SUV Fullsize SUV
54. Communication Pros
AMG models
advertisements
serve as an starting from the
additional tool for E230 campaign
accentuating lifestyle storytelling
premium qualities principle has been
of the brand used in virtually all
print ads
high production value
of illustrations
contributes to building
consistent visuals: a premium perception
print structure, color of the brand
scheme, etc
high recognition
rate of the type
helps to identify
the brand
instantly
55. Communication Cons
insufficient convincing
power of the cross-
carline campaigns: the
brand tries to hold some of the
conversation with executions'
multiple fundamentally metaphors lack
different audiences at precision
once
dealerships' print
formats often do not
correspond with the
status of the car
57. Recommendations
1. In 2008 we should proceed with communicating our brand
values, namely 'respect' and 'fascination', in a consistent and
focused way:
• in addition to product advertisements, to consider applying more
efforts through-the-line to cover various dimensions of Mercedes-
Benz brand experience – special events, service, etc. (e.g., through
some special projects in glossy magazines)
• to conduct a research into trends evolving in luxury categories
(i.e., 'minimalistic luxury' as opposed to 'dynamic luxury' currently
dominating in the segment) and to find a way to reflect them in the
communication (in visual concepts and storytelling)
• to encourage dealerships to announce events like seasonal test
drives as important luxury lifestyle happenings for their regions
• to consider putting more focus on our ‘halo’ carlines (such as
CL, SL, AMG, McLaren Mercedes F1)
58. Recommendations
2. We should also try our best to correct current communication
flaws:
• to stick to the 'one ad – one car' principle and avoid bulk
advertisements speaking of several models at once
• to remain focused on values attributed to a certain model (in
accordance with the principles stated in 2008 Communication
Strategy), and do not make the consumer think out messages like
puzzles
• to pay more attention to dealerships' communication and to exert
influence on print format choice by giving recommendations on size,
structure, etc. and indicating those to be avoided
• to avoid increasing the body copy volume in executions
59. CLS under attack
Two major launches from key competitors scheduled for 2009: BMW CS
(reported to be the new 8-Series) and Audi A7 – newcomers in the niche
created and so far occupied solely by CLS-Class
60. Recommendations
• Presumably, these expressive and innovative cars will be used to
the full in competitors' communication to attract more attention
to their brands
• We should consider different ways of defending our position in
the segment in 2009:
– to focus consumer's attention on CLS (both in ATL and BTL) by
arranging an individual campaign for it
– to utilize CLS as an effective image builder for Mercedes-Benz brand
using suitable media (i.e., large formats of OOH)
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