Instagram fame at heart of the latest Mercedes-Benz USA campaign

From Jeremy Brook. How do you promote a US$30,000 car like the new Mercedes-Benz CLA to fashionable and image conscious Millennials? Instagram features at the heart of the latest US campaign for the brand. Called Take the Wheel the campaign has enlisted five power-house Instagrammers who are competing with one another for their chance to keep a new CLA if they can secure the most likes from their content.

The website http://www.clatakethewheel.com/ features the five Instagram celebrities and encourages participation from others by offering up a sixth spot if you can snap the most brand-inspired image. The non-famous Instagrammer is guaranteed of getting their own new car.

What’s very clever about this campaign is that it relies on the participation of followers to help drive their success and chances of winning. Using a test drive as a creative canvas keeps the story about the vehicle and the lifestyle that it helps create. As a result Mercedes will get very authentic content that connects their brand to these communities. Go to @mbusa on Instagram if you want to join in.