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 popularity in Australia, his interview prowess, endless curiosity and contradictory nature (rugged exterior/deep thinker) made him the perfect spokesperson to reveal a new way of thinking and new type of toughness, driving through the harsh terrains of Australia also gave the X-Class centrestage 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 and creating anticipation and interest in the campaign.

Through the careful curation of interviewees, we furthered 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.

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.

Other:

4.5 million people were reached through PR coverage alone.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tough Conversations started a discussion around what it means to be ‘tough’, something that is at the heart of Australia’s cultural identity, but not often questioned.

Punk-rock icon-cum-social commentator Henry Rollins hosts a series of online, social, video and radio content that follows his journey to challenge the out-of-date stereotypes that are often used to represent toughness.

Speaking to Australians from all walks of life, including; world champion surfer, Mick Fanning, and APRA Songwriter of the Year (2018), Adam Briggs his journey is entertaining and engaging exploring the true nature of Australian toughness culturally and across the varied Aussie landscapes.

The ute category has been built on a history of 'toughness' defined by traditional masculine stereotypes of strength, ruggedness and towing capacity. But Australia is changing and toughness can no longer be defined by muscles and macho. It’s more complex than that, but ute advertising keeps hammering home these lazy stereotypes and talking down to Aussie blokes. Our opportunity was to ‘redefine toughness’ and start a cultural conversation that seemed lacking from a male perspective in particular.

Challenging the cultural conventions around what makes someone or something tough and taking a more progressive view on Australian toughness allowed Mercedes-Benz to break down barriers and enter the ute market for the very first time. We chose to give all Aussies a tough vehicle they could relate to and broaden the appeal beyond tradies and weekend warriors.

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 to 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.