Microsite fashions a unique partnership
April 7, 2008
By Cara Wood
Situation:
Mercedes-Benz wanted to increase awareness of and engagement with its brand. The challenge was finding the right way to communicate the brand's commitment to style, high design and luxury while still engaging a Web 2.0 user that expects innova¬tive and exclusive content. The car company was also looking to target female car buyers, who typically respond best to compelling visuals.
Approach:
Mercedes-Benz became a global sponsor of FashionWeek in the spring of 2007. The luxury car com¬pany launched a microsite at MBUSA.com/lifestyle in partnership with Omnicom-owned digital mar¬keting agency Critical Mass. The site showcases runway shows and leading designers in concert with its own glamour shots of the luxury car and exclusive content.
Driving show attendees to the site's behind-the-scenes videos and photo galleries through print collateral and signage at the event, Mercedes-Benzkept the microsite up for a year after the show. It then refreshed the content for the 2008 spring Fashion Week events.
"The real tough challenge was to marry the style and design of a fashion site to portray a car site," explains Taro Ramberg, VP at Critical Mass. "These fashions are on the leading edge, andwe wanted to highlight the same qualities in the vehicles themselves."
The site features interactive Flash functionality and content about Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week venues in New York, Miami and Los Angeles.
Results:
The microsite received 200,000 unique visits, resulted in 13,000 qualified leads and influenced at least 650 sales. Its visual motif was extended to Fashion Week on-site décor and fixtures, as well as in print ads, show literature and direct response efforts. Critical Mass expects a similar amount of sales leads and visits this year.
