Communication Design 2016

USPA NEWS - "Red Dot Award: Best of the Best" for Mercedes-Benz Lifestyle Configurator and smart TV-spot “Shock“. The Jury bestowed six awards upon Mercedes-Benz and three upon smart. The award ceremony will be on the 4 November 2016 in Berlin.

At this year's "Red Dot Award: Communication Design", the international jury of 26 members honoured the Daimler brands Mercedes-Benz and smart with no less than nine awards for high quality of design. The new lifestyle configurator won the prestigious honour in three categories: "Red Dot Award: Best of the Best" in the category "eCommerce" as well a "Red Dot" each in the categories "Online“ and "Interface Design".

In addition, a "Red Dot" was awarded to the trade fair presentation of Mercedes-Benz at the IFAT (category "Fair Stands"), the brand supplement for the IAA 2015 "No one has to drive Mercedes" (category "Advertising") as well as to the book "Mercedes-Maybach S 600 Pullman ““ Book of Inspiration (category "Publishing & Print Media"). smart also received three of the coveted "red dots". The company won a "Red Dot Award: Best of the Best" for its campaign "Car Parks" (category "Advertising Print Campaign") and for its TV spot "Shock" (categories "Film Craft" and "TV Commercials").

A jury comprised of 26 international experts awarded prizes for the best entries in 21 categories. The prizes will be presented to the winners as part of the Red Dot Gala in the Berlin Concert Hall on 4 November 2016.

The Mercedes-Benz Lifestyle Configurator

Mercedes-Benz was the first car manufacturer to launch a lifestyle configurator on occasion of the Frankfurt International Motor Show (IAA) 2015 as part of its "Best Customer Experience" sales and marketing strategy. Instead of model series, engine and colour, customers select their personal lifestyle at www.mercedes-benz.com/lifestyleconfigurator/ ““ from home furnishings and travel to music and sport.

This entirely new type of vehicle configurator automatically generates suggestions of individually configured cars ““ according to the principle of "show me how you live and I'll show you the perfect mobile partner".

Mercedes-Benz trade fair stand at the IFAT 2016

As part of the Mercedes-Benz trade show presentation at the IFAT, the world's leading trade fair for water, sewage, waste and raw materials management, which took place from 30 May to 3 June 2016 in Munich, the brand bearing the three-pointed star presented its products like football players in the run-up to UEFA EURO 2016.

To this end, the trade fair stand was designed like a stadium with grass pitch, grandstands and scoreboard. The vehicles on display were the "stars", which entered the pitch from the tunnel and lined up full of confidence. The reference to football was implemented systematically from the entire stand design to the give-aways. The trade fair presentation was the joint achievement of Mercedes-Benz Sales Germany, the Karlsruhe-based einsagentur Schäuble GmbH, which was responsible for the architecture, and Waidmann/Post from Braunschweig, a company specialising in communication in space.

The "No one has to drive Mercedes" brand supplement

Mercedes-Benz presented the topic of "autonomous driving" artfully in the most literal sense in a brand supplement for transregional German daily newspapers. In this way, the brand drew attention to its automotive visions against the backdrop of the Frankfurt International Motor Show (IAA) 2015. Artist Sarah Illenberger produced five installations to put the Mercedes-Benz F015 Luxury in Motion in the limelight.

She explored the area of tension between technological future and artistic handicraft. With these installations, Illenberger translated the fascinating features of the F015 into an expressive visual world that introduced the observer to the Mercedes-Benz vision of self-driving cars. The supplement was done by Berlin based creative agency antoni.

"Mercedes-Maybach S 600 Pullman ““ Book of Inspiration"

Schwarz Gruppe Design from Stuttgart created the design of the extra-large and particularly exquisite "Book of Inspiration" for the Mercedes-Maybach S 600 Pullman.

The book is an homage to the fifth generation of the ultra-long prestige saloon car for highest standards and impressive presence. The book was also honoured with an award in the "Automotive Brand Contest 2016" from the German Design Council. The international competition honours particularly good product and communication designs in the automotive industry.

The smart "Car Parks" campaign

The "Car Parks" campaign, designed by BBDO Agency, started in 2015 and impressively visualises that the entire city is a car park for a smart car. The motifs show Berlin, London and Rome in the smallest of spaces ““ in a car park. The cities are represented by their respective typical buildings. Only a smart car is able to find a parking space in this bustle; especially the smart fortwo is the ideal car for the city thanks requiring little space and having a mini turning circle of 6.95 metres. The "Car Park" billboards were positioned in central locations in Berlin like the Potsdamer Platz, and placed in special interest magazines.

The smart "Shock" TV spot

Is the new smart forfour a true smart? The TV spot "Shock" answers this question. The driving sensation in the new smart forfour is so much like that of its iconic brother, the smart fortwo, that the driver plum forgets that the car has a back seat. This can lead to a real shock, as the spot shows. BBDO Agency also created this entertaining and surprising spot.

About the Red Dot Award: Communication Design

The Red Dot Award: Communication Design is organised and presented annually by the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen. It is aimed at all creative minds from agencies or design firms, freelancers and companies. Apart from the "Red Dots“ in 21 categories, the honorary titles of "Red Dot: Agency of the Year“ and "Red Dot: Brand of the Year" are also awarded. Until 2001, the Red Dot Award: Communication Design went by the name "German Award for Communication Design".