Beginning February 7, movie-goers, TV watchers and just about everyone online will be able to watch the new TV spot for the Mercedes-Benz B-Class.  The central character in the one-minute TV spot is a university professor who takes his small grandson to work with him. Together the duo has an eventful day, and attracts surprised glances e.g. during a lecture, when the young guest pipes up very audibly from his grandfather’s bum bag. At the end of the day they review the events during a ride in the B-Class. It all concludes with the remark that in the 21st Century, nobody has to justify anything any longer – either for decisions or for a personal lifestyle. In line with this, the campaign claim is “Justify nothing”. In Germany the campaign has the theme “For everything that comes”.

Mercedes-Benz B-Class Print Campaign

The campaign films were directed by the London-based duo D.A.R.Y.L. It was created by an award-winning film crew (Sundance Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival) which included cameraman Lol Crowley (4 Lions), production designer Jacqueline Abrahams (The Lobster), costume designer Hannah Edwards and Sam Ostrove, who was e.g. responsible for the screenplay of the much-acclaimed Jay Z & Beyoncé music video “Apes**t”. The main role of the professor was played by the Irish theatre and film actor David Wilmot, who will soon also appear in the series “The Crown”, which was awarded a Golden Globe in 2017. The musical background to the TV spot and the online short versions of the film is the song “L.U.V.” by the young British Indie-Pop band Catholic Action from Glasgow. The music in the long version of the launch film is a composition by Orlando Weeks, A British Indie-Rock singer.

Nobody has to justify anything any longer – either for decisions or for a personal lifestyle

The films are available in variable lengths for different needs. In addition there are three 30-second product TVCs as variants of the long version: “Costume” is about a father who dresses up as a princess for his daughter. In the film “Kiss”, a “pregnant” couple unselfconsciously kiss in public. The TV spot “Prof” portrays a professor who takes his grandson to work with him. The three TVCs have different main themes – safety, MBUX and practicality. “The campaign shows why the new B-Class is the ideal companion for a wide range of target groups,” says Bettina Fetzer, Vice President Marketing Mercedes-Benz Cars. “We also want to specifically address young families with the new model. This is why it was important to me and my team to position it as the perfect companion for every age and situation in life.”

Mercedes-Benz B-Class Print Campaign

Along the same lines as the superordinate campaign theme, the print motifs also portray different life situations that are quite common in the 21st Century, thanks to the free choice of lifestyle. The motifs were photographed by the Briton Dan Burn-Forti.

Credits: the idea, conception and implementation of the campaign were by antoni garage, the European creative lead agency for Mercedes-Benz.

The new B-Class: The new Mercedes-Benz B-Class puts the emphasis on sport with the Sports Tourer. It looks more dynamic than its predecessor and is more agile on the road while offering greater comfort and space. The transverse-mounted version of the two-litre OM 654 diesel engine model series with 110 kW and 140 kW celebrates a clean debút: This engine already fulfils the Euro 6d norm, which will be mandatory for new models as of 2020. The eight-speed dual-clutch transmission also makes its debut. The avant-garde interior of the B-Class ensures a unique feeling of spaciousness with the distinctive design of the instrument panel. The intuitive user interface of the adaptive MBUX multimedia system is ground-breaking. Its strengths include brilliant graphics, “Hey Mercedes” voice control, a standard touch screen and functions such as MBUX Augmented Reality. State-of-the-art driving assistance systems give the B-Class one of the highest standards of active safety in the segment with functions carried over from the S-Class. The new B-Class has been orderable since 3 December 2018, with deliveries due to begin in February 2019.

The S-Class, the flagship of the Mercedes-Benz brand, has throughout its long, prestigious history always been a technological pioneer in the automotive sector. Once again, the new generation of the luxury saloon combines ground-breaking technologies with unparalleled ride comfort. The focus of the global campaign “Feel Intelligent Drive” is on the unique interaction between various comfort systems. In the driving mode, air-conditioning, fragrance, light, music and seat massage can be adapted to the current mood at the push of a button, thus increasing well-being. The video function can be activated in stand-by mode and contributes additionally to the relaxation. “ENERGIZING comfort control” is the name of the latest achievement of the S-Class. How convincing this feature is in action is shown by the film “Leon”, which will be available to view on social media from October 15. In humorous scenes, it shows how even a bad-tempered “business lion” is tamed into a gently purring kitten by the new comfort control. The ENERGIZING comfort control is available since September 2017 at the price of 238 Euro*.

“The campaign tracks the reorientation of Mercedes-Benz as a brand of “human-centered innovation” that consistently focuses on people and their needs,” says Natanael Sijanta, Head of Marketing Communications at Mercedes-Benz Cars. “No other vehicle in the luxury class is currently as intelligent as the new S-Class. With “Feel Intelligent Drive”, we show in an entertaining and humorous way how the latest, intelligent technologies perfectly match the needs of driver and front passenger.”

In the film about the new S-Class, a lion stands as a metaphor for an alpha animal from the world of business. We see the boss of a young company, who is having anything but a successful day. He suffers a series of minor mishaps that put him in an increasingly bad temper. Stressed out and in anything but a good mood, he climbs into the new S-Class at the end of a long working day. There, he experiences the effect of the ENERGIZING comfort control features. The press of a button is all it takes, the lion’s bad mood vanishes and he relaxes. He sets out on a journey through the night, at the end of which he arrives home in the best of moods. The stress of the day has vanished – thanks to the personalised wellness experience on board the S-Class.

In the film about the new S-Class, a lion serves as a metaphor for an alpha animal from the world of business.

“The campaign tracks the reorientation of Mercedes-Benz as a brand of “human-centered innovation” that consistently focuses on people and their needs,” says Natanael Sijanta, Head of Marketing Communications at Mercedes-Benz Cars.

“No other vehicle in the luxury class is currently as intelligent as the new S-Class. With “Feel Intelligent Drive”, we show in an entertaining and humorous way how the latest, intelligent technologies perfectly match the needs of driver and front passenger”, says Natanael Sijanta, Head of Marketing Communications at Mercedes-Benz Cars.

The stress of the day has vanished – thanks to the personalised wellness experience on board the S-Class.

The press of a button is all it takes, the lion’s bad mood vanishes and he relaxes.

His day is far from successful. He suffers a series of minor mishaps that put him in an increasingly bad temper.

n humorous scenes, it shows how even a bad-tempered “business lion” is tamed into a gently purring kitten by the new comfort control.

We’re going to take a break from our focus on the best Christmas gifts for the kitchen to bring you some random gifts that we think pretty much anyone will love.  First up, we’ve got something that is an absolutely must have for anyone with more than one entertainment device in their living/family/theater room – the Logitech Harmony 1100 Advanced Universal Remote.  We’ve all experienced it:  you just brought a brand new television, you hooked it up to your Playstation 3, Xbox 360, new surround sound system, and the finished result is a kick-ass entertainment system that’s controllable with a mere four (or five or six) controllers.  Nothing’s worse than having to juggle different controllers for each device, explaining to your spouse which controller does what, and if you have young kids, trying to figure out where your son or daughter has hidden a specific controller.  The Logitech Harmony 1100 completely eliminates all the aforementioned problems, and to be honest, I truly don’t know how I lived without it before I bought it.  I can’t tell you how much time and how many headaches it’s saved me not hunting for a remote and not explaining to my wife why she can’t get the Blu-ray player to work.

What makes the Logitech Harmony 1100 so great you ask?  In a nutshell, it’s the ability to create activities.  Here’s how it works.  Once you bring your new Harmony 1100 home, you hook it up to your computer and select the various devices you’re using.  So for example, let’s say you have a telelvision, a surround sound system and an XBox 360.  Once you’ve inputed the various devices you’re using, you can then create an activity that utilizes the various features.  These activities could include watching television, watching a DVD, playing music, and playing a game.  After specifying the devices used for the activity and the inputs and commands necessary to make each work, all steps necessary to perform each function are saved in the remote, and in the future, each activity is accessed by the single press of a button.

So let’s say you’re watching television, and you instead want to watch a movie.  All you have to do is press the appropriate “Watch a DVD” button on the remote, and your DVD player powers up, your television switches to the appropriate input, your sound system switches to the appropriate setting, and the Logitech switches to your DVD player remote interface.  No more having to use numerous remotes, no more manually changing inputs on anything – it all happens with a single press of a button.  It works exactly the same for games:  your game system powers up, the television input  is automatically switched, your sound system settings are changed, and an on screen version of your game controller is displayed (of course you still need your game controller for the actual gaming).

It’s an incredibly sophisticated system in terms of how it functions, but it makes operating a host of entertainment devices so simple you won’t know how you ever lived without it.  As for what devices it works with, the Logitech Harmony 1100 works with 225,000 devices from 50 brands, and supports up to 15 different remotes in its memory.  In all likelihood, if you’re using devices even moderately new, you won’t have any problems finding your device.  If, on the off chance your device isn’t on the list, the Harmony 1100 is capable of learning your devices commands, although my devices were all on the list, so I haven’t experienced this process firsthand.

From a design standpoint, the Logitech Harmony 1100 features a slick modern design that would be perfectly at home on an episode of the Jetsons.  It features a 3.5″ full-color touch screen along with external channel, volume and directional controls separate from the screen.  Using the remote, you also have the ability to customize the labels and icons displayed on the touch screen, meaning you can make the display fit your own personal preference.  Also, the Logitech Harmony 1100 features an internal rechargeable battery along with charging dock, so you don’t need to worry about changing remote batteries ever again (awesome, I know).

Ultimately, with an MSRP of $399 (and a street price of less than $300), the Logitech Harmony 1100 is really a must have for anyone that uses multiple entertainment devices with different remotes.  It eliminates the painful process of juggling numerous remotes, and it makes switching from one entertainment device to another virtually error-proof.  For the price and the incredible amount of time it will save you on a daily basis, you really can’t beat it.  To learn more about the Logitech Harmony 1100 and the full lineup of other Logitech  universal remotes, you can learn more at Logitech.com or buy now from Amazon.com
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