Beat The Benz By BMW
- Sep 10, 2015
- 2 min read
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM8s1ilxab8
(watch Mercedes Benz’s advertisement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m72Q3IIsSOk&p=82234EB04510F8B0&playnext=1&index=6 to see where BMW’s advertisement followed on from)
What appeals to me in this advertisement, is it’s audacious yet tranquil nature. BMW have followed up Mercedes Benz’s advertisement, which reenacts an incident where a man miraculously survives after his car plunges down a cliff on Chapman’s Peak in South Africa. A week later BMW release their own advertisement where their vehicle is travelling down the same road but at the point where the Mercedes in the previous advertisement tumbles down the cliff, the BMW corrects itself and continues safely along the road. Thereafter a calm voice presents us with the idea that, “Doesn’t it make sense to drive a luxury sedan…. that beats the bends.”.
This cleverly composed advertisement speaks to car enthusiasts, in particular men, perhaps in a sophisticated profession, interested in a “luxury sedan”. But this advert is also directed towards the public who have become intrigued, firstly by the report of a man surviving such a drop off Chapman’s Peak and then the advertisement Mercedes presents. This is done cleverly and in a way that the public feel associated and a part of the advertisement, due to contributing to verbal discussions about the man’s survival and then witnessing the following advertisement from Mercedes. And yet we are removed; we watch as Mercedes and BMW engage in a battle of brands.
BMW are audacious is the way they compare their vehicle with Mercedes’. The “Beat the Benz” advertisement clearly casts similar lighting to the Mercedes advertisement, with also very similar footage of a car driving around the sharp corners on Chapman’s Peak. Some may have even thought it was the Mercedes advertisement at first. The play on the words ‘bends’ with ‘benz’ is brilliant yet subtle.
BMW took a gamble when presenting this advertisement. It was taken off television a week or so later due to comparison advertising being illegal in South Africa. But BMW created a talking point amongst the public; wouldn’t you prefer a car with safety features that ensure it stays on the road?
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