Adventures in Promoting: What is the Creature in that Mercedes Advert?

You’ve most likely seen a sure Mercedes-Benz advert this yr. Or possibly in years previous – I think the advert in query ran final yr, as properly, and possibly even earlier than then.

It’s a vacation advert that includes considered one of the brand’s luxurious SUVs and promoting a winter gross sales occasion for Mercedes.

We open on a close-up of a snowplow. Chained to the grille of this plow truck is what seems to be a cute stuffed animal. Besides it additionally seems to be alive. And unhappy. It’s snowing and chilly and nasty and the thriller plow driver (no phrase on if he’s carrying a “Mr. Plow” jacket) stops at some out-of-the-way café. The sentient “plushie” (M-B’s time period) frees itself from bondage and wanders throughout a snowy car parking zone, the place an lovely little woman finds it and asks it if it’s OK earlier than selecting it up and hugging it tightly to heat it up. It’s implied the abruptly sentient stuffed animal heads house completely satisfied, with a brand new household.

Let me be clear – I get the intent of the advert. We’re purported to really feel that Mercedes is providing up a heat and comfy respite from a merciless wintry world through its luxurious autos, and that the type of good household that takes in a wierd creature would drive its automobiles. And if the advert pushes your “cute” buttons by displaying an impossibly precocious little one and super-cute furry buddy collectively, or makes you are feeling nostalgia on your personal assortment of stuffed animals that you had as a child, a lot the higher from the brand’s perspective. Identical if you’re a mum or dad of a kid round that age who loves his/her plush toys – it’d hit your heartstrings.

However nonetheless, I’ve questions. So many questions.

What is this creature? Is it good or evil? Why is it chained to the grille of a plow truck? Since it’s chained to the grille, possibly it’s not cute and cuddly in spite of everything however truly secretly evil? Both we have now an a-hole of a plow driver who chains stuffed animals/sentient beings to the grille of a truck, or possibly it’s chained there BECAUSE it is truly intent on hurt.

Additionally, it frees itself from the chain. Why wouldn’t it permit itself to be chained up in the first place, then?

Moreover, if this creature can stroll by itself, does anybody understand it? Or is this a Calvin and Hobbes factor in which solely the little one sees it as something greater than a stuffed toy?

I like youngsters. I like stuffed animals. I like cuteness. However this industrial confuses me. We now have a being that could or could also be sentient, could or is probably not evil, and is chained to a plow truck for no obvious cause.

There must be a much less complicated strategy to mix cute youngsters and cute toys in a bid to promote luxurious automobiles. Tweak it for subsequent yr, M-B.

[Image: Screenshot of ad via YouTube]