Mercedes-Benz has spoken about teaming up with Nintendo to help market their GLA-Class SUV, it now having appeared in Wii U exclusives Mario Kart 8 and Super Mario Maker.
Their most recent announcement was creating Mercedes-Benz Jump’n’Drive, a free Event Course for Super Mario Maker that takes players through a dealership, on a test drive and cruising down the autobahn.
“Many people grew up with Mario during the last 30 years, so there are quite a lot of 30- and 40-somethings around for which Super Mario Maker hails back to their childhood days and gives them a large dose of nostalgia,” Mercedes-Benz Cars head of product placement and fashion sponsoring Caroline Pilz explained to Fortune.
“While we received a lot of positive feedback on the campaign and the integration of our cars into Mario Kart 8, we also learned that many gamers are skeptical about brands appearing in their games. So we made sure to put a lot of effort and passion into designing the actual level.”
The deal may appear to be unique to Nintendo, but Mercedes has also sought to connect with consumers through agreements with Sony, Microsoft, EA and Bandai Namco to have their cars appear in Gran Turismo, Forza Motorsport, Need for Speed and Project Cars.
“Gaming has been important for our branded entertainment marketing strategy since the integration of the SLS AMG sports car in Gran Turismo 5 in 2009,” Pilz added. “Since then, we have intensified our relationships with the gaming industry and executed at least one major marketing partnership per year.
“Moving forward, there is very likely a growing importance of games, as the global gaming audience is growing older and more diverse, and thus becomes even more relevant to us as a brand. We have managed to raise awareness for the sportiness of the brand, thus making the brand more attractive and relevant for new target groups.”
