Dive Brief:

• Mercedes-Benz unveiled a four-minute YouTube film, "Bertha Benz: The Journey That Changed Everything," to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8, according to a news release.
• The film tells the story of Bertha Benz, the wife and business partner of Mercedes-Benz founder Carl Benz, taking what's reportedly the first long-distance, 100-kilometer journey in his invention more than 130 years ago. The cinematic story encourages men and women to make their visions come true through courage and self-confidence. It was produced by creative agency Antoni Garage and directed by Sebastian Strasser with Alice Bottaro as creative director.
• Women from the company shared what impressed them about Benz's story on social media, along with their professional challenges, tips for young women beginning their careers and their personal mottos. The conversation is also online.

Dive Insight:

Highlighting the important role of women in its organization could help Mercedes-Benz build brand awareness and drum up loyalty among younger consumers, who haven't shown as much interest in auto ownership as older consumers. The short film also aligns with Mercedes-Benz's "She's Mercedes" initiative, which the brand launched in 2015 to support women within the company. The automaker aims to increase women in leadership roles to at least 20% by 2020 and has ramped up mentoring programs, events, networks and training courses to offer more support.

Mercedes-Benz is using its brand story of a female innovator and featuring women across its organization to emotionally connect with consumers. The automaker is the latest brand to touch on women's empowerment in marketing, a theme that often resonates with consumers, who are reporting a preference for brands that break down gender stereotypes.

The campaign, which was strategically timed to debut around International Women's Day, also showcases how Mercedes-Benz and other brands are investing in high-quality, cinematic video to reach consumers on digital and social platforms. This is the second time the automaker has centered a video campaign on Bertha Benz. Last year, the company debuted "The First Driver," a short film on Instagram's IGTV celebrating the 130th anniversary of the long-distance drive. Last spring, Mercedes-Benz also launched "What Makes Us," a campaign highlighting the brand's innovations through virtual reality.

By embracing strong visual elements and emotional storytelling, Mercedes-Benz is working to elevate its connection with consumers. The brand appears to be doing something right, as it was viewed as one of the most meaningful brands in a recent Havas report, which also revealed that consumers think 77% of brands could disappear without notice.