The brief
In China’s east, the popularity of Mercedes-Benz’s GLA-class SUV is reflected not only by its street presence, but by the enthusiasm drummed up over the years by the GLA SUV Adventure: an event that matters to the GLA SUV owners.
Conceived as an engaging way to raise awareness of the GLA SUV’s ‘Greatest Life Adventure’ theme while supporting regional dealers with sales leads, the Adventures invite GLA SUV owners on one-day road trips packed full of interesting sights, scenery and engaging activities. The 2017 edition marked the team’s second consecutive year of involvement, with their responsibilities ranging from conceptualising and designing to building, planning and managing the event.
Concept
Working closely with Mercedes-Benz, the team devised a conceptual strategy focusing on customer feedback, brand voice and sales promotion. From there, a specific ‘secret agent’ event theme evolved – balancing the unpredictability and thrills of the Adventure route with the solidity, calm and capable character of the vehicle itself.
Execution
The 2017 GLA SUV Adventure began with over 100 Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang and Shanghai welcoming participants from around the region. Each participant was then registered, provided with a roadmap and informed that they were about to be trained for a secret mission.
Subsequent ‘training’ activities included ‘drifting’ and ‘shooting’, and were designed to not only illustrate the GLA SUV’s capabilities and durability, but to surprise and delight even long-time owners with their own capabilities. Upon completing their tasks, owners and agents drove on to their hotel ‘headquarters’, where they concluded with a grand dinner.
The event attracted over 1,400 owners to participate, reflecting their enthusiasm for the brand and model, and making a positive impact on the local market.
