| Title | MILLBOARD |
| Brand | MERCEDES-BENZ |
| Product/Service | MERCEDES-BENZ |
| Category |
B05. Use of Ambient Media: Large Scale |
|
Entrant
|
PUBLICIS EMIL BENELUX Brussels, BELGIUM
|
|
Idea Creation
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PUBLICIS EMIL BENELUX Brussels, BELGIUM
|
|
Idea Creation 2
|
PUBLICIS EMIL Berlin, GERMANY
|
|
Production
|
PUBLICIS EMIL BENELUX Brussels, BELGIUM
|
|
Production 2
|
PUBLICIS EMIL Berlin, GERMANY
|
Credits
| Bruno Bertelli |
Publicis Emil Global |
Global Chief Creative Officer |
| Andy Daley |
Publicis Emil Global |
Global Executive Creative Director |
| Eduardo Marques |
Publicis Groupe Benelux |
Chief Creative Officer |
| Mischa Schreuder |
Publicis Emil Benelux |
Creative Director |
| Koenraad Lefever |
Publicis Emil Benelux |
Creative Director |
| Richard Bushoff |
Publicis Emil Benelux |
Copywriter |
| Lennart Schoterman |
Publicis Emil Benelux |
Art Director |
| Mischa Schreuder |
Publicis Emil Benelux |
Art Director |
| Elodie Straub |
Publicis Emil Global |
Account Director, Global Content, Experience and Comms |
| Davy Caluwaerts |
Publicis Emil Benelux & Nordics |
Market Acceleration Lead |
| Axelle Gontier |
Publicis Emil Benelux |
Account Director |
| Frederic Haesendonck |
Publicis Emil Benelux |
Account Manager |
| Florian Bleher Bleher |
Mercedes-Benz |
Marketing Communications Mercedes-Benz Cars |
| Stefan Brommer |
Mercedes-Benz |
Marketing Communications Mercedes-Benz Cars |
| James Gambrill |
Publicis Groupe Benelux |
Creative |
| Karen Fonteyne |
Publicis Groupe Benelux |
Creative |
Why is this work relevant for Media?
The media itself was our message: by using a huge wind turbine to coummunicate to the world that Mercedes-Benz was joining forces with the wind. From 2022 all Mercedes-Benz’ factories worldwide will obtain their energy from renewable resources only. By attaching led lights to the rotor blades, and using eco friendly smoke, the wind turbine turned into the iconic Mercedes-Benz star by nightfall. Due to its height of 120 meters and its width of 70 meters, this imposing brand installation could be seen from miles away. The installation was then amplified globally by PR, social, and content featuring the turbine.
Background
Mercedes-Benz is ambitious when it comes to reducing its CO2 emissions as a global manufacturer. From 2022, all of their factories worldwide (over 100 locations) will obtain their electricity exlusively from renewable sources – and this is just one of many sustainability initiatives. This work was staged to highlight the scale of the brand’s intentions to a global audience, and to inspire other organisations, regardless of sector, to take similar and steps.
Describe the creative idea / insights (30% of vote)
The wind turbine symbolises renewable energy. The three-pointed star symbolizes Mercedes-Benz. The idea was simple: to exploit the striking visual similarity between the two to transform one of Europe’s largest wind turbines (120m x 70m) into an illuminated Mercedes-Benz logo on a truly iconic scale. The objective was to announce to the world that the brand and renewable energy would soon be working together on a global scale. The installation was staged for real, using eco-friendly lights and smoke, and was visible for miles around.
Describe the strategy (20% of vote)
The strategy was to make an iconic visual statement that would communicate the scale of Mercedes-Benz’ sustainability intentions. To amplify the message globally, content was created featuring the installation for use in a worldwide awareness campaign.
Describe the execution (20% of vote)
The installation required weeks of research & development with scaled testing to acheive the light and smoke effect at this extreme scale. High-intensity lighting designed for spacecraft applications combined with ultra-light powerpacks calibrated to work within the low weight tolerances of the rotor blades were created specifically for the task. They were attached to the rotor tips by abseiling technicians. The immense ‘Milboard’ logo was illuminated over a period of 6 nights.
List the results (30% of vote)
The brand installation was visible for miles around and situated close to a busy motoryway where 45,000 people passed by daily. During the campaign period, over half a million people saw this imposing brand installation locally. Content featuring the wind turbine transforming into the Mercedes-Benz star amplified its message globally and has been seen by millions worldwide with +464% increase in reach and +965% increase in interactions compared to the brand campaign benchmark.