September 2020.
We all knew it: Christmas season was approaching. Time to make a Christmas campaign. Again. And it still caught us off-guard.
Amidst all this f**k-up of a year, we didnt’t want to create a melodramatic, heart-warming, sentimental, tear-drenching Christmas campaign like everybody else.
Not this year. Maybe not ever again.
Instead, we have a simple idea: four iconic Mercedes-Benz cars in a fun and unseen design. That praise the joy of presents. With the greatest gift of them all…
— Step 1 —
Create four "ugly Christmas sweater" inspired designs for four of our most iconic cars:
a 1964 Pagoda, a Mercedes-AMG GT, a G-Class and the new EQC.
These designs incorporate elements of the car's history, character and image.
— Step 2 —
Then, the cars were wrapped in the designs and photographed by one of the year's hottest directors / photographers, Anton Tammi, and antoni_'s very own Antonio Afonso.
— Step 3 —
As the grande finale, Anton Tammi directed the 2020 Mercedes-Benz Christmas film.
An hommage to a song that's just as iconic as the brand itself: "Mercedes-Benz" by Janis Joplin.
In a modern take on Joplin’s classic song young people finally speak out what they really wish for: no socks, no beard trimmer but a Mercedes-Benz.
In the main roles: a cool and quirky crowd of actors and models longing for their Benz.
As supporting actors: unloved Christmas gifts from the last years.
And as a surprise act: a 1964 Mercedes-Benz Pagoda wrapped in out Christmas sweater design.
The message is as simple as it is 2020:
The greatest gift can't be bought: health.
The greatest gift can't be bought: health.
Client — Mercedes-Benz
Agency — antoni_garage
Creative Direction — Christian Kies, Christopher Hoene
Art Direction — Arnt Christman, Tatiana Pakhmutova, Tim Grötzinger
Copy & Concept — Daniel Duhn, David Kaufmann, Simon Cazzanelli
Photographer — Antonio Afonso
Account Direction — Tamara Boesch, Lena Gahn
Creative Production — Sandra Stueker
Art Buying — Aras Sehatkar
Illustrator – Jamie Cullen, Agent Pekka
Production — BWGTBLD GmbH
Executive Producer — Sebastian Cordes
Executive Producer — Sebastian Cordes
Director & Photographer — Anton Tammi
DOP — Cezary Zacharewicz
Set Design — Emilia Margulies
Styling — Lorena Maza
Editor — Andrej Gontcharov
Colorist — Mike Bothe
