The German Branded Entertainment market is increasing and most of the classical agencies and film production companies have seen new business opportunities in it. The fast development of the web and Hbbtv are offering more and more opportunities to share and spread branded content. Brands can easily make their own program, displayed on web.tv, YouTube or even on Digital TV.

Brands start to take careful steps into the world of content marketing and corporate publishing. However, most of their stories are still heavily product-focused and explanatory.

Telling the real thing helped us find the touching story of Bart Hickey – the blind motor mechanic.

The blind Bart Hickey is probably the most committed mechanic Mercedes-Benz has on earth, and probably the most authentic brand ambassador we’ve ever found. He’s never seen a Mercedes in his life, but his passion for cars and especially for Mercedes-Benz gave him the ability to see with his hands. With amazing precision he’s bringing back the shine to old and damaged cars.

Our film focuses on the emotional portrait of this authentic character and his profession. The brand values fascination and perfection were subtly communicated through the overall story of Bart.

We’ve placed the video on the Mercedes-Benz platform MB.tv and the brands Youtube channel. Within a short time, the video was shared via blogs and automotive platforms and achieved international coverage from Germany to China without any media spending.

The branded entertainment story of Bart Hickey moved the heart of the people and evolved through the net and press to over a million users.Viewers on Facebook, automotive blogs, craftsmen blogs and brand platforms appreciated the touching story of the Blind Mechanic, and rewarded us with lots of shares and positive feedback. Alongside its immense viral circulation, the film has continued its success offline via the automotive magazine Auto Bild, that published 700,000 copies of a DVD containing our film without any media spending.

Plenty of reasons for the client to challenge us in finding more authentic stories like that of Bart Hickey's.