World Premiere of the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, Detroit 2016
:Autonomous driving is currently one of the hottest topics in the auto industry. At the 2016 Detroit Auto Show, the new Mercedes-Benz E-Class heralded a new era of autonomous mobility. Its connected systems make it a masterpiece of intelligence. At the static world premiere on the eve of the auto show, 450 journalists and bloggers had the chance to experience the very special skills of the most intelligent business sedan ever built – no test drive, but maximum dynamic performance.
OSK’s idea was to create a collective driving experience for the premiere’s audience. 450 amazed guests experienced the reveal as an autonomous test drive on an 80-meter LED strip running all the way round the Westin Hotel’s Woodward Ballroom to form a 360-degree media surface. The journalists sat in the passenger seat for what started out as an atmospheric drive along the Californian coast and through San Francisco, evolving gradually into a digital visual experience.
Then came the surprising change of perspective – the LED surface opened and the new E-Class drove onto the stage, initially dimly lit and only vaguely discernable. On a turntable it moved with precision choreography through its virtual surroundings, communicating with its environment and other road users in a perfectly synchronized interaction. The audience experienced intelligent driving and avoidance maneuvers, rode inside the vehicle, was right in the thick of it and gained a real-life impression of autonomous driving.
The launch was a huge hit in the international press – with the new E-Class attracting more attention than any other model at the Detroit Auto Show. The sensational premiere also placed the Mercedes-Benz brand as a whole at the very front of the pack with a 62 percent share of coverage. Overall, press communication associated with the show generated more than 140 million contacts. On CNN, ARD, SAT1, FBN, PBS and RTL, the E-Class world premiere even ran as the top story in the evening news with the video footage generated in Detroit.
Award:
Gold Sabre Award EMEA 2017