When it came to spreading the message about the new B-Class, Mercedes-Benz decided to pioneer the use of the latest cinema innovation, Three D Radio.
“The unique thing about 3D Radio is that it maximises the cinematic power of sound and doesn’t rely on visuals, giving consumers the opportunity to use their imagination in an environment where anything can happen – at the movies,” says Cameron Naidoo. He and his co-founder, Louis Enslin, are in partnership with Cinemark using the innovative platform to engage with consumers.
The duo set out to create an ad that would encourage consumers to ‘break the mould’ with the Mercedes-Benz B-Class. “What starts out as a pitch black screen coupled with classical music, quickly works itself into a crescendo of emotive and glass-shattering titles describing everything one could possibly be behind the wheel of the B-Class,” says Enslin.
Naidoo adds, “What turns this 30-second ‘radio ad’ into an acoustic experience for the consumer is the 5.1 surround. It paints a picture with nothing but sound and a few simple words that flash across an even simpler background. It says everything there is to say about the B-Class – and Mercedes-Benz loves that that’s all it took to get their message across in a way that will resonate with their target market.”
Cinemark’s marketing manager Yvonne Diogo says screen advertising is p”resented next to motion picture features and trailers so it must not be the poor relation. It must be perceived to be of comparable quality, to conform and be in keeping with the complete cinematic show”.
“This type of advertising has to be better and become something extra to what the public has already experienced at home on television. 3D Radio achieves this by utilising cinematic sound, which proves quite glorious in terms of the impact that the product makes on audiences. The Mercedes-Benz campaign has shown this,” says Diogo.
