Challenge: Mercedes needed to determine whether its SLK and the S-Class brochures developed in Germany or those developed in the U.S. were more compelling to the U.S. car buying audience, ultimately, to help confirm relevant messaging for the U.S. buyer. The two concepts varied dramatically.

Objective: To understand the overall image and message conveyed by each brochure and to determine which brochure was most impactful and persuasive to potential car buyers.

Solution: More than 100 in-person interviews were conducted in a Quasi Qualitative/Quantitative Study across four U.S. markets; New York, Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles. The interviews utilized a structured questionnaire in combination with in-depth probing and each brochure was exposed and evaluated for look and feel, brand image conveyed, relevance and clarity.

Result: Plan-it used insights from this evaluation to recommend the most compelling brochure concepts for Mercedes U.S. Following the U.S. concept, a few suggestions were made for integrating relevant elements from the European brochures. The recommended version utilized a more streamlined format/beautiful images of the car that clearly whet American purchasers’ appetites for this model Mercedes versus the more copy heavy, educational European style. The new brochures were developed based on the learning and launched in the U.S.