Henry Rollins, a man who has lived through his own evolution of tough came to Australia to discover how toughness has evolved.

Driving across Australia talking to people from all walks of life including professional sports stars, musicians, politicians as well as everyday Aussies.

His interviews and observations were used to create ‘Tough Conversations’ an integrated, content-driven campaign that includes a podcast series, a radio partnership, PR, DM, social and online content. Plus, a one-hour documentary.

Not an obvious choice for Mercedes-Benz but Henry’s interview prowess, endless curiosity and contradictory nature (Rugged exterior/deep thinker) made him the perfect spokesperson to announce a new way of thinking and new type of toughness, driving through the harsh terrains of Australia also gave the X-Class centre stage throughout the campaign.

Tough Conversations, is an integrated, content-driven campaign, led by online content, a podcast series and a documentary.

Australians followed Henry’s journey via a social campaign where they were provided daily updates and a microsite gave them access to exclusive content and prompted them to sign up for updates.

The immediate nature of Facebook and Instagram Stories allowed consumers to get up close and personal with Henry’s journey and follow the behind the scenes from the comforts of their home creating anticipation and interest in the campaign.

Through the careful curation of interviewees, we further the reach of our content through influencers like Mick Fanning, Adam Briggs and Clover Moore sharing the campaign via social media.

PR initiatives and a radio partnership drove further reach.

A heavy pre-roll plan amplified the podcast and documentary trailers closer to the broadcast date.

The campaign ran 19 Feb to 18 April 2018.

4.5 million people were reached through PR coverage alone.

The campaign gained 85 pieces of positive PR across TV, radio and print media.

Our Instagram following grew 54% and engagement on Facebook increased 300%.

Almost 70,000 people visited the campaign microsite, with ? spending an average of 4 minutes exploring the X-Class page.

By the end of the pre-launch campaign, over 9,800 people registered their interest for the X-Class.

Brand health measures showed our audience now see the X-Class as a tough and credible contender in the category.

Other:

The documentary was picked-up by Network Ten and aired primetime on ONE and streamed on catch-up TV.

The Tough Conversations podcast was number 1 on the Apple podcasts chart within 48 hours of launch.

Virgin Australia Airlines picked-up the podcast series for their in-flight entertainment.

A total of $821k additional media value was generated.

Finding look-alike audiences to Mercedes-Benz’s fans, we tailored an X-Class-first approach to content, using product-focused content to engage them with Tough Conversations.

Inversely, when targeting Henry’s fans, we adopted a Tough Conversations-led approach and slowly brought them into the X-Class world.

The strategy was designed to create demand, drive consideration and generate quality leads. Through a series of ads tailored to both Facebook and Instagram across lead generation ads, link ads, video content and stories, we invested in an approach to drive reach and pique interest then retarget and engage audiences through the funnel.

Further to that, we invited consumers to be part of the journey in real-time. From posting daily updates on Henry’s journey, to inviting fans to participate in a competition to win a chance to meet him.

Through this campaign, we built a huge retargeting pool for Mercedes-Benz to engage with when the X-Class launches.

Situation:

Australia is the most competitive ute market in the world. There are over 146,000 utes sold per year in Australia and over 14 model lines. The Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger are the top 2 vehicles sold in Australia across all automotive categories.

When Mercedes-Benz first announced the arrival of the new X-Class, Australians were sceptical and unsure of how Mercedes-Benz, who are known for their premium vehicles, would go at producing a ute that’s stereotypically known as Australia’s workhorse.

Brief:

Develop a pre-launch campaign for the X-Class and emotionally prime Australians with a unique and memorable take on a tough ute.

Objectives:

Generate more than 7,000 leads before the official launch of the X-Class.