Brief:
- Luxury automaker Mercedes-Benz USA debuted a six-second vertical video ad to promote its 2018 C 350e hybrid electric model. The length of the video parallels the car's ability to go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than six seconds, according to a press release made available to Mobile Marketer.
- MBUSA aims to leverage the quick clip to challenge consumers' "misinformed" notions about hybrid cars' general lack of power and steep price tags, per the release.
- The campaign will run on Facebook and will also include display, pre-roll and full-screen ads through the end of the year, with creative developed for every stage of the customer journey in immersive vertical video.
Insight:
Carmakers have long touted a vehicle's acceleration from 0 to 60 mph as a key selling point in the industry. Mercedes-Benz's latest effort takes that idea a step further by tying its C 350e six-second acceleration to a new six-second advertisement. Aside from speed, the short video highlights other features of the automaker's new plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), including innovative tech, sleek design, simple test-drive registration and luxury, a core element to the brand's image.
With mobile in mind, six-second ads have begun to grow in popularity over the past few months. Brands like Duracell and Proctor & Gamble have tested the tactic, and in April, YouTube launched a six-second "bumper" ad unit that users can't skip. The creation of super-short videos stem from consumers' steadily waning attention spans while still hooking viewers with just a quick taste of the product.
The bite-size format is particularly mobile-friendly, as many smartphone users are on the go and might not be willing to watch longer content on a small screen — especially clips that are made for horizontal desktop viewing. To address this friction, MBUSA enlisted a vertical video format designed specifically for viewing on mobile devices.
MBUSA has recently put a new focus toward mobile marketing. On Oct. 20, the automaker released the first of six digital comic stories about Warner Bros. Pictures film "Justice League" on Mercedes-Benz's Instagram channels.
