In light of the global pandemic, one thing was clear: this Christmas was going to be different. While in recent years the holiday has increasingly become a celebration of excessive consumerism and grand emotions, Mercedes-Benz wanted to position its brand differently. With a campaign that faces the year with humor and ease.

The inspiration was a tradition from the USA and a trend that is becoming increasingly popular worldwide - the ugly Christmas sweater. For the 2020 Christmas campaign, 4 Mercedes icons were transformed into #UglySweaterCars - a classic Pagoda SL, a legendary G-Class, a sporty AMG GT and an all-electric EQC. All 4 cars represent milestones in Mercedes-Benz history with their iconic silhouettes and visionary engineering.

For the designs elements of the classic ugly sweater were adopted and infused with the brand's DNA resulting in ugly yet unbelievably desirable masterpieces.

And of course, for every ugly sweater car our busy elves knitted an ugly sweater with matching design.

Matching each car's character, patterns with Christmas and Mercedes related design elements and coordinated palette was created and illustrated.

With the Pagoda SL we aimed for a California feel with palm trees and ocean waves joined by a sun-kissed hedgehog and angels. All embedded in a 60's retro color scheme.

The design of the EQC presents electric mobility in vibrant colors - featuring lightning bolts, futuristic robot Santa’s and a cool reindeer.

For the G-Class, we focused on the car's off-road spirit with snowy mountain peaks and firs, wild animals like foxes, squirrels, owls and bears in a classic Christmas palette.

The design of the AMG GT is all about performance. With athletic horses, checkered flags and Santa Claus as race driver complemented by Christmas stockings and festive ornaments.

The patterns were developed modularly so that single elements can be rearranged, combined and resized enhancing certain parts and design lines.

Every Advent weekend, one of our ugly sweater cars was rolled out on social media with great response and engagement from followers and fans. Beyond the main Mercedes-Benz channel, the motifs were also shared on dedicated country channels around the world - from Mercedes-Benz Argentina to Vietnam.

In selected markets, the ugly sweaters were raffled off or sold for charity - becoming the secret must-have of the winter season.