Mercedes Is The Villain’s Choice In Hit Dystopian TV Show – And They Like It

While rival automakers such as Audi and BMW have had their fair share of TV and big screen moments, it’s Mercedes who’s currently in the spotlight as far as the entertainment business is concerned.

You’ve probably seen Audi at work in various Marvel movies, whereas BMWs are known for being Tom Cruise’s favorite means of transportation on his Mission Impossible flicks. Of course, if the topic of discussion is the big screen, then Mercedes also did pretty well for themselves during DC Comics’ Justice League movie.

TV. however is a different story. Right now, if you tune in to the likes of The Handmaid’s Tale, Succession and Shooter, you’ll see cars with the three-pointed star do their thing. With Shooter, a surprisingly decent TV show starring Ryan Phillippe that’s loosely based on Mark Wahlberg’s 2007 movie, Mercedes provided cars not just for the good guys, but the bad guys, too, who seemed to have no shortage of S-Class saloons and black GLS SUVs.

In Succession, a relatively new but already critically acclaimed HBO show, the W222 S-Class is pretty much the only car in which all the wealthy members of the chauffeur-driven Roy family get around.

Hulu’s critically acclaimed The Handmaid’s Tale is perhaps the most controversial, as well as the most successful, out of the three, since G-Wagens and W221 S-Class limos are serving under a totalitarian regime that has overthrown the United States government.

Despite getting a lot of screen time here, Mercedes say they aren’t actually involved with product placement on the show, as reported by Automotive News.

“We didn’t seek it out. It wasn’t one that we advocated for,” stated Mercedes USA marketing boss, Drew Slaven. “It’s not something that I’m clapping my hands about and high-fiving and saying ‘Isn’t this great?’ But as someone who is paid to do the best job possible of keeping the brand front and center, I don’t cringe.”

Some of this show’s themes are quite dark, ranging from female subjugation to institutionalized rape and human rights abuse. Slaven however doesn’t think Mercedes’ association with the show’s villains can harm the automaker’s image in any way, saying that The Handmaid’s Tale “is accepted as a highly fictionalized piece of content. The idea is to put a character into what is assumed to be the highest form of luxury and prestige. I think that’s the way consumers accept it.”

Then there are dealerships such as Mercedes-Benz of Arrowhead in Peoria, Arizona, who encourage fans of the show to come check out and test drive the very same models that appear on TV.

“These vehicles are a good fit for the series, because they are tough looking and so innovative that they seem futuristic,” they said in a blog post.

Other Merc dealers, like Carriage House of New London, Connecticut, feel differently, with its owner stating that appearances in shows such as The Handmaid’s Tale can put the brand “in a position of weakness”.

“There may be people that are like, ‘I’m offended by that show, so now I don’t want to do business with you.”

As for targeted product placement, Mercedes are known for bringing the ML SUV to the 1997 film The Lost World: Jurassic Park, the CLS Coupe to Showtime’s Ray Donovan and the E-Class Cabrio to the previously-mentioned Justice League blockbuster.