Mercedes-Benz Premieres New Environmentally Themed Ad Campaign During the Academy Awards

MONTVALE, N.J., March 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Nestled among the tributes to Hollywood's brightest stars during the 82nd Annual Academy Awards will be a new Mercedes-Benz luminary, the S400 HYBRID. Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) will debut a new ad called "Tree of Innovation" which stars the S400 HYBRID and showcases the company's expanding repertoire of environmentally oriented vehicles. The ad is the first to feature the new "voice" for MBUSA's advertising, Jon Hamm, the Golden Globe winning star of the TV series Mad Men.

The Mercedes-Benz 2010 S400 HYBRID is the world's first production vehicle powered by lithium-ion, a sophisticated new battery technology that is more compact and energy efficient than conventional batteries. It is one of two hybrids the company offers along with three BlueTEC clean diesels and an upcoming fleet of fuel cell vehicles.

"For decades we've been experimenting with alternative powerplant vehicles – from the days we invented the diesel more than 70 years ago – but for the first time it seems like the market is ready for these vehicles and this campaign showcases our portfolio and our direction," said Stephen Cannon, vice president of marketing for MBUSA.

The 30-second "Tree of Innovation" spot opens on a majestic 250 year-old tree in a beautiful, lush environment with dozens of glittering glass frames containing images of Mercedes-Benz innovations hanging from its branches. Under the tree is an S400 HYBRID. The camera languidly glides around the car to one of the glass frames. Inside the frame is the small, innovative lithium-ion battery that powers the S400 HYBRID. The camera continues to pan to a frame of the soon-to-arrive Mercedes-Benz hydrogen electric ("fuel cell") vehicle which emits only water. The next frame highlights the E320 BlueTEC that was awarded the "World Green Car of the Year" while a subsequent frame showcases the Mercedes-Benz BlueTEC fleet, some of the world's cleanest diesel vehicles. The spot ends noting that Mercedes-Benz not only strives to make the best cars in the world, but for the world: "a cleaner, safer future is what drives us."

"The challenge was to create a spot that could reflect both the environmental qualities of Mercedes and their technological leadership ... and do that in single spot. We think the combination of the lush environment with the high-tech screens surrounding the S400 does that," said Alex Gellert, partner and CEO of Merkley+Partners (New York), MBUSA's lead agency and creator of the campaign.

Click here to read the article in its entirety.