Mercedes’ “Grow up”. is one of those marketing phenomena you just do not pass by indifferently. t is bold, distinctive, non-obvious, and wildly ambiguous. But is it good? Does it “do the job”? And if yes, then what kind of job does it do exactly?
This is what I asked the students of final years of psychology – people who seem to be the target Mercedes had in mind. As part of our class on branding activities, we discussed Grow up. in detail. I organized a small workshop on this subject, and some students wrote short essays about the campaign.
Mercedes reaches out to us, young people. It wants to say it is no more the serious grandfather in cognac, wood-appliqued leather jacket.
The brand intends to show that, contrary to popular belief, it is not that conservative and keeps up with the times – apart from the high-flying, affluent baby boomers and aspiring people, it also understands the more laid-back “Y generation” millennials, and maybe even has what it takes to get across to the online-minded, amorphous generation Z.
Besides, the campaign itself is very aesthetic and well-executed, which gives it additional appeal, also among the younger audiences. Here’s what the adepts of psychology said about Mercedes.
The students read the German producer’s advertising efforts prior to the Grow up. campaign as inconsistent, chaotic and unconvincing. However, there were opinions that Grow up. itself is vague, too. But, as one of the students wrote, “I’m not sure what Mercedes wants to tell me here”, “it finally aroused emotions! (…)
I feel that I am experiencing something when watching these films (…) I am genuinely intrigued (…) it will definitely make Mercedes differentiate even more”.
Another student simply said„I liked the ideas behind the brand and if I ever had the opportunity to buy a Mercedes, I probably would”.
I think that many a marketer would be happy to hear such feedback about their campaign.
Others read Grow up. as an expression of Mercedes’s gentle slat towards paternalism saying “it eases you into adulthood, shows you what to do (…) the stories eventually lead to harmony, a sense of balance that everyone will reach at their own pace”. Some noted that what Mercedes is trying to say is people should interpret values like family, work, or being a good parent „ “according to their own definitions, rather than follow the patterns”, and stray from the routine.
To grow up without sacrificing freedom, spontaneity and energy.
One of the students’ interpretation was that Mercedes does not want unstable customers; it wants its cars’ owners to “feel mature at heart.”
On the other hand, Mercedes is no longer the “stern, 60-year-old why-don’t-you-get-a-decent-job father. Instead, it assumes the role of the older brother you’d hear saying whatever you decide to do in your life, make sure it makes you happy”.
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The immediate reason for my interest in the new Mercedes branding campaign was the amount of controversy around the characteristic mural promoting Grow up. The advertisement appeared at the end of the summer of 2017 next to one of the main Wroclaw arteries, in the vicinity of Wrocław’s two major nightlife hubs.
You can read about the whole thing and see the mural tutaj. City activists tore the ad to pieces, but…
Psychology students considered it as rather unimportant. Some said it just made them curious what could be behind it. During our workshops I heard young people saying the mural could encourage own definitions of “It’s time to grow up”. and the use of avant-garde format suggested
that young people no longer have to perceive adulthood stereotypically, and be adult in their own way instead.
The mural provokes reflection, they claimed, and redefines adulthood: “it raises very important questions (…) and should be treated as a social campaign and not just an advertisement”The entire campaign, along with the mural, “can be a starting point for really interesting discussions about responsibility and adulthood”.
One of the students concluded that Mercedes’ Grow up. campaign says to young people:
“We do not judge you. We know the choices you have to make in life are not easy; we just want to accompany you on your way.
This is a very positive message and portrays Mercedes as a brand which puts social goals on par with financial ones.”
It is hard to imagine better feedback from a potential consumer. If this campaign gets similar feedback from those in Mercedes-Benz’s target group, the producer’s marketers have reasons to feel a sense of accomplishment, if not pride.
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Quotations taken from essays by Matylda Baran, Ksenia Gil, Agnieszka Jasieńska, Aleksandra Kulawinek, Natalia Młynarczyk and Anna Wylaź – students from the Institute of Psychology at the University of Wrocław attending my branding classes.
