Mercedes’ Fan-Created Facebook ‘Fan Reaction’ US Open Competition

Mercedes-Benz, the official vehicle of the US Open, is encouraging tennis lovers to capture and share their shot reactions for a competition to win VIP tournament seats in the brand’s luxury suite or a tennis experience with ambassador Roger Federer.

The campaign, launched on the Mercedes-Benz USA Facebook page, can be entered simply by filling out an online contact details form, but fans who capture user-generated film or still images of their emotive reactions to the on-court action and share them socially have four times the chance of scooping the prize.

Entrants are invited to boost their chances of winning by sharing a video of their head flicking from side-to-side as they follow the tennis ball criss-cross the net or a dramatic selfie action to increase their odds.

Consumer content can be shared on Vine, Instagram or Twitter with the hashtags #MBQualify and #Sweepstakes or uploaded with the entry form on Facebook.

The car brand itself also shared some fan entries on its social media platforms through the contest to offer inspiration, give entrants a moment in the spotlight and generate awareness and participation in the campaign

Win suite seats to the @usopen. Show us how you watch tennis to increase your odds:http://t.co/qafS7k1pXb #MBQualify https://t.co/9d592C5WUA

— Mercedes-Benz USA (@MBUSA) August 31, 2015

One lucky winner will also be chosen to take part in a Roger Federer tennis clinic masterclass.

To further activate its rights and its endorser relationship, Mercedes promoted the campaign by capturing and sharing Federer’s US Open preparation on Snapchat.

Don’t miss the action as we hang out with @rogerfederer on Snapchat at MercedesBenzUSA at the @usopen. pic.twitter.com/Jf74qoDjpi

— Mercedes-Benz USA (@MBUSA) August 27, 2015

Federer also features in a new video brochure campaign for the Mercedes AMG 2016 GLE63 S Coupe built around the theme of how to stay at the top of your game’.

Comment

This campaign continues the current trend for sponsors to build digital campaigns around real-time fan reaction to properties.

The objective is primarily to connect those not able to be there in person to the feelings of those attending the event in person.

Perhaps the most notable recent example of this approach was Jaguar’s blended sociometrics and biometrics #FeelWimbledon campaign earlier this summer (see case study).

The upmarket German car marquee, which has supported tennis since 1996, has been the official vehicle of the US Open since 2010 when it signed a multi-year deal with the USTA.

This deal spans an official designation as the presenting sponsor of the US Open men’s singles, fleet provision for tournament transportation, as well as on-site presence and court-side signage, vehicle display space, national TV media space, and presence on USOpen.org.

Links

Mercedes-Benz USA Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/mercedesbenzusa/videos/1157844520910242/

Mercedes-Benz USA Website:

http://www.mbusa.com/

Mercedes-Benz USA Twitter:

https://twitter.com/MBUSA

@MBUSA

Mercedes-Benz USA Instagram:

https://instagram.com/mbusa/

Mercedes-Benz USA Google+:

https://plus.google.com/+mbusa/posts