Mercedes – Benz vehicles not only turn heads, but save lives

Orlando Mercedes-Benz drivers can take a deep sigh of relief every time they get
behind the wheel of their Mercedes-Benz. This is because Mercedes-Benz vehicle
s are one of the safest brands of vehicles consumer can buy today. In fact, num
erous Mercedes-Benz drivers across the country have experienced a crash in their
vehicles and survived, and have been told by officials that they survived solel
y because they were driving a Mercedes-Benz. Other cars just don’t stand up to co
llisions like those with the recognizable Mercedes-Benz symbol on the front.
Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) wanted to give these customers the chance to share the
ir story. Despite the number of safety awards a brand wins and the claims they
make about the safety of their product, hearing a customer tell their own story
is a much more valuable marketing campaign than some fancy driving moves made by
a professional driver on a closed course.
Thus, MBUSA, including an Orlando Mercedes dealer to an LA Mercedes dealer, part
nered with the marketing agency Merkley + Partners and the digital marketing age
ncy Razorfish to produce videos in which the victims of the crash could describe
their experiences. Henry Corra, a documentary filmmaker, filmed the videos. T
hey can be viewed at www.MBUSA.com/Impact.
Mercedes is calling the campaign “Impact.” Currently seven stories have been filmed
and one underlying theme connects all of them. This theme is the fact that all
people speaking about their individual crash feel they would not be alive today
if it wasn’t for their Mercedes vehicle.
In fact, one story told of the impact the Mercedes vehicle had on the firefighte
r responding to the crash. "The fireman told me if you can live through that th
en I want my wife driving that car. " Another crash victim featured in the film
states, "I decided I would never drive another car unless it was a Mercedes. T
he police told me I would have been dead in any other car."
Orlando Mercedes-Benz drivers can share their own stories on MBUSA’s Facebook page
. The most compelling stories will be featured weekly on the Facebook page. Th
e effort to have a place for customers to share their stories was deemed importa
nt because of the fact that, "we literally have hundreds and hundreds of these e
xperiences sent to us by our customers and we all agreed that we had to find a w
ay to bring these experiences to life and share the stories of survival and pers
pective,” said Steve Cannon who is the vice president of marketing for MBUSA.
Orlando Mercedes dealer attributes some of the brand’s safety to the new technolog
y like Awake Assist and Lane Departure Warnings, but these features are not uniq
ue to Mercedes-Benz. Instead, the way the body of a Mercedes-Benz is able to ab
sorb the impact of the crash within itself and not pass it on to the passengers
inside is what sets the brand apart from others on the market.
In addition, Steve Cannon said, “we wanted the stories to be powerful but also aut
hentic and, most of all, we wanted them to share the perspective that these peop
le walked away with." Even watching just one, it is clear that these people tru
ly feel they owe their lives to their Mercedes vehicle. If that can’t create bran
d loyalty, nothing can.
About the Author: Sarah Stevens is a freelance journalist in Orlando. Mercedes-
Benz vehicles are Sarah’s favorite brand of car. Growing up the daughter of an Or
lando Mercedes dealer, Sarah has lots of experience with driving, selling and wr
iting about
Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
Links for “About the Author” section:
Orlando Mercedes-Benz:
http://www.fieldsmotorcars.com/new-inventory/index.htm?reset=InventoryListing
Orlando Mercedes dealer:
http://www.fieldsmotorcars.com