Plan-it Marketing

Challenge: Mercedes needed to determine whether it’s SLK and the S-Class brochures,

developed in Germany, or those developed in the U.S. were more compelling to the U.S. car buying audience, ultimately, to help confirm relevant messaging for the U.S. buyer.

Objective: To understand the overall image and message conveyed by each brochure

and to determine which brochure is most impactful and persuasive to potential car buyers.

Method: More than 100 in-person interviews were conducted in a quasi-qualitative/

quantitative study across four markets; New York, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles. The interviews utilized a structured questionnaire in combination with in-depth probing and each brochure was exposed and evaluated for look and feel, brand image conveyed, relevance, andclarity.

Results: Plan-it used insights from this evaluation to recommend the most compelling brochures for Mercedes U.S. Interestingly, the recommended version varied greatly from the European version. The recommended version utilized a more streamlined format/beautiful images of the car that clearly whet American purchasers' appetites for this model Mercedes, versus the more copy-heavy, educational, European style.