Mercedes-Benz aims to accelerate interest in the US Open and activate its partnership rights through tennis mockumentary – Timeless Legends – starring its top tier tennis athlete ambassador Roger Federer.
The tongue-in-cheek ‘Timeless Legends’ aligns the Swiss multiple Grand Slam champion with the premium auto brand’s SL Roadster by following the course of their histories through the decades.
But the Federer side of the story, is, of course, a pretend history that begins with a voiceover discussing the ‘gamechangers that exist in every sport’ and opens with images of Federer standing proudly on a court with one foot atop a pyramid of golden bricks.
The underlying objective for Mercedes-Benz USA is to demonstrate that great performance is more than just a passing trend by making an athletic comparison linked to its event sponsorship.
The so called mockumentary sees well known US sports broadcaster Bill Macatee narrate the bio film from a room stuffed with tennis trophies and famous photos stretching from vintage black-and-white pictures from the golden age to the modern greats off the game.
Other appearances include Australian tennis great Rod Laver and tennis references range from McEnroe-esque behaviour to Agassi-style hair.
All linked to an unchanging commitment to excellence and various product placement opportunities for the evolving SL model.
The end line is ‘True performance is timeless’.
The work was initially trailed in early August on the brand’s US channels with coming soon YouTube clips,
and tweets.
A classic never goes out of style. Stay tuned for more at the @USOpen. pic.twitter.com/6VjYvTztjC
— Mercedes-Benz USAㅤ (@MBUSA) August 11, 2016
Then the flagship, two-minute satirical spot was released on 18 August on YouTube,
and on Twitter.
Watch @rogerfederer and the SL journey through time in this behind-the-scenes look at history. pic.twitter.com/WGPgc8N0QM
— Mercedes-Benz USAㅤ (@MBUSA) August 18, 2016
The support continued through a series of shorter social 15-second cut downs – such as ‘The Man, The Myth, The Hair’,
Business in the front, party in the backcourt. Stay tuned for more at the @USOpen pic.twitter.com/h39X0FHleZ
— Mercedes-Benz USAㅤ (@MBUSA) August 16, 2016
and ‘Roger Federer Exposed’.
Champions tend to possess an exquisite body of work. Stay tuned for more at the @USOpen pic.twitter.com/iCQL55OHO4
— Mercedes-Benz USAㅤ (@MBUSA) August 15, 2016
‘The concept is built on the premise that legendary performance icons like Roger Federer and Mercedes-Benz transcend time and reinvent themselves, year over year, decade after decade,’ said Mercedes-Benz marketing communications manager Alexa Harnett.
‘Mercedes-Benz celebrates the legendary Roger Federer as he spans the eras to experience classic Mercedes-Benz SL roadsters of every generation – culminating in our latest high performance thrill machine – the 2017 Mercedes-AMG SL63. Style, speed, passion, power – it’s all on display when these two all-time performance greats get together.’
‘By aligning the Mercedes-Benz SL with brand ambassador Roger Federer, we are able to strengthen our relationship with those within the tennis community, fans of Roger Federer, as well as with our annual sponsorship of the U.S. Open Tennis Championships,’ says Harnett.
‘With a branded entertainment campaign such as this, Mercedes-Benz aims to reach a broader audience and show a more youthful, light-hearted side of the brand.’
Mercedes-Benz is a sponsor of the 2016 US Open, held from 29 August to 11 September in New York, and its other activation elements range from pre-tournament Federer social birthday wishes
Mercedes-Benz USA wishes brand ambassador and tennis champion @RogerFeder a grand slam of a birthday. pic.twitter.com/gwozcTWNLU
— Mercedes-Benz USAㅤ (@MBUSA) August 8, 2016
to the more typical sponsor ticket competition giveaway.
Tennis fans, we want to send you to the U.S. Open. Enter here: https://t.co/UuFF14Kj4i pic.twitter.com/1nFQOeykqu
— Mercedes-Benz USAㅤ (@MBUSA) August 12, 2016
Comment
While many sports event brand partnerships tend to revolve around inspirational and aspiration, this humour-led, self-mocking comic approach certainly might help Mercedes stand out and cut through.
Indeed, since its mid August launch, the spot has already racked up a solid 572,257 views on the Mercedes-Benz USA YouTube channel.
This approach is also seen in other Mercedes-Benz’s sponsorship activation – such as its fashion industry partnership campaign like its comic Berlin Fashion Week film work (see case study).
Mercedes-Benz is the presenting sponsor of the Men’s Singles Championship and Official Vehicle of the tournament.
Behind Mercedes-Benz’s tennis associations is the idea that the fundamental elements of precision, power and pace link the sport to the brand and its products.
While the way Federer plays the game – with grace and elegance and style – also links to Mercedes-Benz, its cars and its values and the player has been a brand endorser since 2011..
In addition to sponsoring the US Open and Federer, the German auto outfit also backs the The Mercedes-Benz Dealer Championships: a grassroots program hosting amateur golf and tennis events across the United States each year, with Mercedes-Benz owners and prospects from Mercedes-Benz dealers’ communities participating.
Links
Mercedes-Benz USA YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/mbusa
Mercedes-Benz Facebook:
http://mbusa.us/SoR44F/
Mercedes-Benz Twitter:
http://mbusa.us/232ra4/
Mercedes-Benz Instagram:
US Open YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/USOPEN
US Open Web:
US Open Twitter
US Open Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/usopentennis
US Open Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/usopen/
US Tennis Association Web:
