On a lighter note

Yes yes. This week will be car week and we will now feature a really funny ad that we hope you will enjoy!

The Mercedes Benz E-Klass: Beauty vs Brains


This advertisement is used to promote the intelligence of the Mercedes Benz E-Klasse. As can be seen in the video, it has an unconventional introduction which features a conversation between a librarian and a fine lady. It has nothing to do with the Mercedes Benz E-Klasse. However, this is a technique used to grab hold of the audience's attention and keep them. A mystery gap creates curiosity which probes the audience to listen attentively and watch the advertisement till the end. Eventually, the core message is communicated effectively to the audience.
Narrative is as we know used to recount a story which consists of micro events which make up a macro event. In this advertisement, it utilizes the micro events which include the conversation going on between the fine lady and the librarian to ultimately portray the punch line 'beauty is nothing without brains'. This is a creative way of showcasing the strengths of the new Mercedes Benz E-Klasse. This will make an idea stick into the audience's head longer than if it were shown in the conventional method. By the understanding of narrative, we can create many different ways to entice an audience and to communicate messages more effectively. The setting used, the characters chosen and even the music used are all selected to fit the overall plot of the advertisement.

In this ad, the eventual goal is to communicate the new Mercedes Benz E-Klasse does not just look good but is technologically superior as well. It does so by stringing events which seem to not be anything about a car and surprises all by the witty tagline which promotes the car's main selling feature in an interesting and attention grabbing way, none of which would have been as successful as if there was no integration of narrative concepts in the ad.


However, having too much of a narrative that is not entirely related to the product could be uneffective. The audience may only remember the funny bits of the advert but may find it hard to recall what this product was for. Some people that we spoke to thought that the ad was for Macdonalds or Fast Food chain. So there needs to be a fine balance of narrative or in this case, humour, and the main product itself. Another way we can see this is that, the ad could only highlight one attribute and given the advertising costs invovlved, that might not be worth it. As much as the ad may be memorable, the product or company may not benefit from it entirely.