By Darren Gilbert

That is, of course, if you attempt the traditional route of handing out as many pamphlets as possible. One brand that understands this is Mercedes-Benz. You only have to look at their approach this year to see that they know that anything ordinary wasn’t going to pass muster. In fact, anything resembling a customary brochure wasn’t worth the effort. “This year we knew that it had to be more,” admits New Media Publishing’s Dylan Culhane. “That meant the brochure needed to be innovative. That is, more than [your average] brochure.”

Cue what must be one of the boldest (read riskiest) attempts by Mercedes-Benz to show off their brand: a graphic novel titled Unleashed. Yes, you read that right; Mercedes-Benz, a brand that is well known for its luxury and style, decided to present the public at JIMS with a 32-page ‘comic book’. Now to be honest, I am being rather dismissive of graphic novels. In fact, I’ll admit that I don’t read them and so my reaction could be regarded for what it is: foolish. However, such an approach leaves me asking only one question: why?

It’s a perfectly rational question, regardless of my naivety to the effectiveness of using graphic novels to promote a brand such as Mercedes-Benz. There is also a rational answer as Culhane explains: “For this year, we wanted to show off Mercedes-Benz to the younger market.” And what better way to do that than to use a medium that is growing in popularity in South Africa. “The graphic novel is the zeitgeist of the moment,” points out Culhane. Add to that the fact that a large amount of the population is illiterate and you can understand the reasoning for a more visual route. In fact, I’ll even go so far as to call the idea ingenious.

Designed first and foremost to engage with people, Unleashed mirrored the innovation found in Mercedes-Benz’s vehicles on display at JIMS with an additional augmented reality app. This meant that one had the opportunity to go from reading the graphic novel right through to booking a test drive in one of their cars.

“We definitely caught the brand in the right mood,” says Culhane. Now, it does need to be said that this does not mean that there will be a complete change in the brand’s communications going forward. Far from it. However, Mercedes-Benz does understand that in order to succeed, and especially in a competitive market such as the motor industry, one needs to diversify. “This is an attempt to upsell and plant a seed in the mind of youngsters for the future,” confirms Culhane. “The perception at the moment is that Merc is an old man’s car and it’s one that we want to change.”

In saying that, there is a clear indication that Culhane hopes to build on this. “Innovation is key here. In this space, Audi and BMW have had a clear jump on us and we intend to close the gap. I believe that MBLife, which was launched a year ago, started the process.” The recently filmed Silver Slipstreams video, which features extreme downhill skateboarder, Decio Lourenco racing against a Mercedez-Benz A 45 AMG reaffirmed Mercedes-Benz’s desire to energise itself.

Turning one’s attention to the brand’s latest effort, Unleashed, it may still be too early to gauge the public’s reaction. However, one thing is certain: Mercedes-Benz is no longer that stuffy, old-fashioned brand that only caters for your grandfather.