Mercedes-Benz's 6-second vertical ad mirrors its hybrid's acceleration

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.