Bangkok, Thailand – Mercedes-Benz Thailand has partnered with creative agency TeamXThailand (BBDO Bangkok) to unveil its latest campaign that sheds light on the inspiration behind the discovery of a beloved Thai name, ‘Benz’. 

Titled ‘Icon of Inspiration’, the campaign revolves around the idea that in Thailand, you’ll definitely meet someone nicknamed ‘Benz’, a name that holds a special significance for Mercedes-Benz. It also spotlights a charming tradition of Thais assigning English names or nicknames to their family and friends. 

Thai individuals are known for their cleverness in naming traditions. Typically, newborns are bestowed with formal names at birth by temple monks but are fondly addressed by their informal nicknames in daily interactions. 

In a modern trend, English names have begun to blend into this tradition, resulting in names like Pancake (a famous Thai actress) and Nescafe (a renowned Thai singer). 

With hopes for great prosperity and success, many families across Thailand gave their children the name ‘Benz’ in homage to the iconic Mercedes-Benz brand, which is a poignant symbol of aspiration and achievement. 

This campaign by Mercedes-Benz and TeamXThailand delves into the stories behind this latest insight and discovery. Teaming up with commercial film director Benz Thanachart from Salmon House, the campaign uncovers the stories behind individuals named “Benz.” From Carl Benz’s pioneering spirit to the dream of owning a Mercedes-Benz, each story is a testament to the enduring legacy of the iconic brand.

“In Thailand, believe it or not, everybody must have at least one Thai friend named ‘Benz’,” Thasorn Boonyanate (Pete), chief creative officer at TeamXThailand, shared. 

The campaign is also part of the upcoming Thai Motor Show 2024, where Mercedes-Benz Thailand is inviting attendees to delve deeper into the narrative of ‘Benz’. From exclusive interviews with ‘Benz’ name-bearers to immersive displays celebrating the brand’s heritage, attendees will uncover the essence of inspiration behind every ‘Benz.’

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Mercedes-Benz has appointed Amanda Zhang to the roles of CEO and president of Mercedes-Benz Cars Malaysia and head of region of Mercedes-Benz Cars SEA II. This took effect last 1 August.

Zhang’s appointment marks a progression of the current CEO, Sagree Sardien, who will advance to the position of head of region overseas at Mercedes-Benz Cars in Stuttgart, Germany.

Prior to this, Zhang served as the CEO at Mercedes-Benz Romania overseeing four business divisions. During her tenure, Zhang and her team generated significant momentum, achieving a robust double-digit growth in both sales and customer services. She also effectively implemented the electrification strategy within a demanding market landscape and played a pivotal role in revitalizing the dealer network in the Romanian market.

Speaking on her roles, Zhang said, “I am truly honoured to take on this new role in Malaysia and SEA II. Having been part of Mercedes-Benz’s remarkable journey in the Central & Eastern Europe Cluster, I am now eager to lead the Mercedes-Benz Malaysia team and join forces with our retail partners to continue our pursuit of excellence for this dynamic and vibrant market. 

She added, “I firmly believe that innovation, customer-centricity, and sustainable growth are the cornerstones of success, and I am committed to fostering a culture that embraces these values at every level of the organisation.”

Meanwhile, Sardien commented, “We are thrilled to welcome Amanda Zhang to the helm of Mercedes-Benz Malaysia. Her extensive leadership experience and strategic acumen will undoubtedly further support to drive our company forward in the dynamic Malaysian market. I am confident that under her guidance, the company will continue to flourish and uphold its reputation for innovation and excellence.”

Thailand  German luxury automotive brand Mercedes-Benz partners with Team X Thailand to launch a groundbreaking campaign which aims to end 30 years of harassment directed at Thailand’s booth babe industry, ‘The Pretty’. 

Motor shows are one of the biggest events conducted in the automotive industry, but not all attendees come to see the latest and innovative cars. Many also come to see the ‘booth babes’, also locally known in Thailand as the ‘Pretty’, promotional models who offer products, services and even entertain in these events.

With an aim to stop this abuse and present a new way forward, Mercedes-Benz announced on their screen at this year’s Bangkok International Motor Show to 1.5 million viewers that they would no longer use ‘Pretty’ at car shows. Instead ‘Pretty’ will evolve into “Digital Guides”, a virtual role for both genders, eliminating sexy attire at motor shows and introducing a new and exciting digital interface that creates a safe and enjoyable environment for both male and female car presenters.

General Manager of Marketing Communications at Mercedes-Benz Thailand, Atch Bunyaprasit, said, “Mercedes-Benz has supported diversity for quite a while and will continue to take greater steps in the direction that feel right to us. We have continued to endorse this topic in different aspects. In the past few years, our She’s Mercedes initiative has inspired and empowered women all over the world to discover their full potential.” 

Thailand’s motor shows have been featuring “Pretty” for over 30 years and several of the women have since disclosed the dark truth that comes along with memorising car scripts, wearing short dresses and bright red lipstick, namely verbal and physical abuse. Others have been raped, stalked, and even killed.

The automaker hopes to encourage more car manufacturers to follow. 

General Manager of Marketing Communications at Mercedes-Benz Thailand, Atch Bunyaprasit, said, “Mercedes-Benz has supported diversity for quite a while and will continue to take greater steps in the direction that feel right to us. We have continued to endorse this topic in different aspects. In the past few years, our She’s Mercedes initiative has inspired and empowered women all over the world to discover their full potential.” 

Thasorn Boonyanate, Chief Creative Officer of Team X Thailand, commented, “We talked to a lot of victims in order to find the best way to convey their story and offer a solution to this issue. To eliminate the possibility of any further victims, we came up with the idea to transform the traditional physical role into a virtual one called ‘Digital Guides’, where presenters are trained to provide advice to customers virtually. Our second and third priorities were to make this job gender-neutral and to switch the sexy clothes for smart ones. 

For years numerous news stories were circulating where “pretty” has been the target of sexual harassment. ”We were glad to work on this with Mercedes-Benz; this is a great step on their part, and we hope that other automakers will follow, so we can finally end 30 years of “pretty” harassment once and for all,” added Boonyanate.

Hong Kong — The Hong Kong division of automobile manufacturer Mercedes-Benz and its exclusive dealer, Zung Fu, launch the newest electric car from EQA, an entry-level model series for Mercedes-EQ vehicles, with the ‘Electrical Jukebox’, a multisensory, innovative campaign. The promotion was done in collaboration with Isobar Hong Kong, dentsu international’s digital creative agency.

Incorporating Mercedes-Benz EQA’s philosophy, ‘Progressive Luxury’, Isobar Hong Kong introduced the first-ever music meets lightning automobile showcase to the local audiences by streaming AI-extracted soundtracks through a set of electric current emitters called Electrical Resonant Coils, playing music in lightning beams and bolts of electricity, and eventually creating an enchanting scene that best manifested the electrifying look and tech-savvy lifestyle EQA embodies.

To create the effect, chart-topping international and local songs were run through an open-source AI to split the tracks then ran through a synthesiser before it was played on electrical resonant coils to create a truly spectacular light and sound show.

To complete it, the promotion was tested in a popular Hong Kong mall where a live and interactive demonstration took place. Audiences could enjoy the electric dance and the EQA display up-close and safe through a massive jukebox, they could pick their favourite songs to “electrify” through scanning the QR codes and entering a WhatsApp chatbot and an AR app allowed them to get up close and look at the car from every angle.

Ken Lo, creative director for Isobar Hong Kong, commented on their campaign to popularize the idea that electric cars can be fun, and said, “It was really exciting to see people’s reaction when we fired up the Jukebox because no one, including the production house and our in-house creative team, believed playing music with lightning was actually feasible. Everyone thought it was CG with background music until they were standing just a few feet from the bolts of electricity.”