You can probably get away using the same promotional materials in related markets (i.e. among European countries), but for the best results in regions where consumers have a different mindset, it’s always better to come up with a different idea, one that is tailored to meet local needs.
And this is precisely what Mercedes-Benz’s marketing division has done in Japan to support the launch of its brand-new A-Class premium hatchback, which will arrive in showrooms on January 17, 2013.
To build up hype and anticipation for the release, the German carmaker has prepared a series of anime shorts, which is a form of Japanese cartooning, in partnership with Japanese advertising and public relations company Hakuhodo and Aoi Promotion.
The anime stars three youngsters in a Mercedes-Benz A-Class Sport and a…noodle-soup truck that is based on the real life 1955 “Blue Wonder” powered by the original 300 SL Gullwing’s direct-injection engine (see it here).
The first episode along with the story line from Mercedes follow below.
Story Line [From Mercedes-Benz]
“In the not so distant future, to cope with the traffic jams and verticalization due to the Increased population, the city of Tokyo was reconstructed under the theme of “city sharing” in which people share the urbane space by transforming the roads and city structure by time of the day.
A woman named Nico is walking in the city. She is having her long-awaited day off; however, she does not know what to do and who to hang out with. She hopes an exciting thing suddenly happens.
Then, a truck passed right before her eyes. The loud music and flashy decoration of the vehicle reminded Nico the car “it” that everyone’s talking about on the internet. As soon as Nico saw it, she ran after it, then ran into Gatsu and Makito. Nico get in the latest A-Class and they chase after the truck driving through the city that is changing its form rapidly.
See if they catch up with the legendary truck and reveal the true identity of ‘it’.”
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