ESCAPE THE MAP

Credits & Description:

Type of entry: Branded Entertainment
Category: Best use or integration of gaming
Advertiser: MERCEDES
Product/Service: C-CLASS AMG COUPE
Agency: ABBOTT MEAD VICKERS BBDO London, UNITED KINGDOM
Advertiser MERCEDES
Product C-CLASS AMG COUPE
Entrant ABBOTT MEAD VICKERS BBDO London, UNITED KINGDOM
Type of Entry: Branded Entertainment
Category: Best use or integration of gaming
Title: ESCAPE THE MAP
Advertiser/Client: MERCEDES
Product/Service: C-CLASS AMG COUPE
Entrant Company: ABBOTT MEAD VICKERS BBDO London, UNITED KINGDOM
DM/Advertising Agency: ABBOTT MEAD VICKERS BBDO London, UNITED KINGDOM
Executive Creative Director: Paul Brazier (AMVBBDO)
Art Directors: Tim Vance/Paul Knott (AMVBBDO)
Copywriters: Tim Vance/Paul Knott (AMVBBDO)
Director: Carl Eric Rinsch (RSA Productions)
Producer: Margo Mars (RSA Productions)
Post Production: (Digital Domain)
Producer: Emmalou Johnson (AMVBBDO)
Music: (11:59)
Sound Design: Anthony Moore (Factory)
Sound Design: Tom Joyce (Factory)
Production Director: Valentina Culatti (Unit 9)
Interactive Producer: Alessandro Pula (Unit 9)
Interactive Director: Rob Corradi (Unit 9)
Technical Director: Yates Buckley (Unit 9)
Developers: Marco Corti/Artjom Vassiljev (Unit 9)
Developers: Renato Formato/Luisa Tatoli (Unit 9)
Digital Production: (AMV Lab)
Digital Production: (Weapon 7)
Digital Producer: Esther Cunliffe (AMVBBDO)
Describe the campaign/entry
In the UK, Clear-cast governance around TV advertising is very strict, particularly when it comes to menacing subject matter and fast driving cars. Without advertising irresponsibly, we wanted to show a more daring, edgier side to the brand. Broadcast regulations would have made this very difficult.
So we disregarded a conventional TV-led campaign in favour of an online experience in which we brought a strange world inspired by Street View to life in an interactive film. On-line regulations allow you to show fast cars, if they are featured in such a fantasy world. And in this space we were free to write a more challenging narrative, aimed at young drivers.

Results

In the UK, younger drivers saw Mercedes-Benz as an older man’s car. So how do you put the brand back into their world, in a more daring way, without breaking broadcast rules?
We disregarded a conventional TV spot, in favour of bringing Street View to life in an interactive sci-fi adventure. Viewers were asked to drive a girl trapped in our strange virtual world to safety, for a chance to win a real C63 AMG Coupé.
Navigating through our branded content was the entry mechanic. A combination of different media enabled participants to get involved in the game, with phone calls from the characters helping to blur the real and virtual worlds.
Everything, apart from the characters, and the interior of the car, was built in CG, to create the feeling that the world is constantly re-rendering.
In our dystopian city, people worship a giant compass like a god. The sun never sets. The buildings are always rescaling. Characters get caught in glitches, and moments in time are juxtaposed.


Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

We launched with unbranded character profiles in social media, establishing a plot line and dialogue.
A 30” teaser ran on the YouTube homepage. That night it aired during a prime time ITV X-Factor slot, with Marie pleading viewers to help her Escape the Map.
Imitating a film release, she simultaneously appealed for help via 6-sheets and bus sides.
On the first working day, following the X-Factor release, national press served as AR markers for hidden content.
Dealerships received wooden crates containing exclusive material, including car decals and cinema-style standees acting as AR markers.
Mobile calls from characters further blurred the virtual and real worlds


Describe the results in as much detail as possible.

The response to the campaign was even better than we expected, with hugely positive sentiment spreading on Twitter, including complimentary tweets from the likes of sci-fi writer William Gibson.
• 1.5m people escaped the map
(Source: Google Analytics)
• Over 168,000 entered the competition to win the car
(Source: Mercedes Benz November/December 2011)
The effect on the business was immediate and marked. We have established the following to be directly attributed to the campaign:
• 400% increase in traffic to Mercedes-Benz.co.uk
(Source: Mercedes-Benz Oct/Nov 2011)
• 74% increase in test drive requests across all models
(Source: Mercedes-Benz 2010/2011)
• C-Class sales increased by 65%
(Source: Mercedes-Benz 2010/2011)
• C63 AMG Coupé was completely sold out
(2,905 incremental C-Class sales YOY)