Mercedes Smart“The Unexpected Test

Drive”BBDO

BBDO – Ownership

• BBDO (Batten, Bardon, Durstine and Osborn) is a worldwide advertising agency network, it's headquarters based in New York City.

• The company is owned by the 'parent' organisation, Omnicon Group Inc., who are an American marketing and corporate communications holding company.

• BBDO was established in 1891 with George Batten's 'Batten Company', and later on (September 21 1928), merged with BDO (Barton, Durstine and Osborn) to become BBDO.

• Bruce Barton was made the chairman of the board, and William H. Johns (president of the Batten Co.) became president of BBDO.

• The new agency had over 600 employees, with branch offices in Chicago, Boston and Buffalo. In 1986, BBDO merged with Doyle Dane Bernbach and Needham Harper (Omnicom).

BBDO – Operating Model• Today, BBDO has 289 offices in 80 countries, serving world wide.

There are a total of 15,000 employees, with a client list including AT&T, PepsiCo, FedEx, Mars, Campbell's, Hewlett-Packard, Olympus, Emirates and Starbucks.

• The departments within the advertising agency include:• Agency Management (a management team including the chief

executive (Andrew Robertson being the worldwide executive officer) and finance director)

• Account Services• Account Planning• Media• Creative Services• Production

BBDO – Products

• BBDO creates a wide range of products, from print to screen, and has worked with a variety of companies:

• The Economist• Visa Inc.• FedEx• Mercedes• Wrigley• AT&T• Mars• Monster.com• Pinnacle Foods• Starbucks• Hewlett-Packard• Emirates• Olympus• Wells Fargo

BBDO – Market Position

• BBDO is a global player in the advertising industry, with an annual revenue of $1,310.2 million and securing approximately $750 million in published new business wins (including Mercedes, Fiat, Capital One, Starbucks and Sony).

• HP named BBDO the global agency for Digital Imaging and Printing Business in at least 50 markets, and Tag Heuer and Hyatt named it the global agency of record.

BBDO – Competitors

• Even though BBDO is the world's most awarded advertising agency, it still has competitors (it’s three main competitors being):

• J. Walter Thompson Company (JWT)• Leo Burnett Company Inc.• McCann Worldgroup

This is the main logo for the campaign. Mercedes wanted to create a campaign that:

a) Demonstrates the benefits of driving a smaller carb) Will become a viral stunt to capture the intended audience’s

attentionc) Increase the awareness of the Smart Car and their qualities

that make them appropriate for busy cities like Moscow

• Mercedes wanted to target the emerging middle class in Moscow

• They looked at how the citizens were only interested in large and expensive cars, as it was a sign of their wealth

• Mercedes noticed that the citizens of Moscow struggled the most with illegal parking and their cars getting towed over an hour away from Moscow’s centre

• ‘The Unexpected Test Drive’ was created by BBDO Moscow, offering stranded drivers the opportunity to try out the Smart car when they needed a car to use

The Issue

The Solution

• Mercedes swooped in when the drivers were in desperate need, offering them to chance to use their Smart Cars when they had no other cars available to them

• The abandoned citizens accepted and used the Smart Cars, therefore going on an ‘Unexpected Test Drive’

• As a result of this campaign, over 70% of the Smart Car test drivers admit that they became ‘true believers’ of the city-appropriate vehicle

• 40 Smart Cars saved 623 car-less drivers during the three day campaign

Print Case Study

Audience

Distribution and promotion

ASA – Advertising Standards Authority

Ethical and Legal Issues