Mercedes Won't Have Any Commercials In Super Bowl 50

TopSpeed

By Kirby Garlitos

Published Jan 25, 2016

German automaker says that it will take a different marketing approach this year

Mercedes->ke187 is typically a strong presence during the Super Bowl. Just last year, it ran a one-minute commercial called “Fable”, advertising the Mercedes-AMG GT. That ad reportedly cost Mercedes $9 million. It had its desired effect as, according to AutoTrade, online searches for the AMG GT->ke4853 increased by an incredible 3,107 percent after the commercial aired during the game, making it the biggest search increase by any of the brands that aired a commercial during the Super Bowl.

With the success it received from its ads last year, it seemed like a certainty that Mercedes would once again have a presence in Super Bowl 50, right? Well, as it turns out, the German automaker is doing the exact opposite after announcing that it would not air any commercials during the Super Bowl. The company said that it plans to run “more targeted campaigns” for new models like the E-Class and the SLC and the cost of running a one-minute ad in Super Bowl 50 - $10 million - could instead be used to achieve these objectives. Obviously, the cost of paying that much for a 60-second commercial isn’t really a problem for Mercedes. It’s just that the automaker believes that it could spread out that money to achieve better results.

So, when you’re watching Super Bowl 50 on February 7, 2016, don’t expect Mercedes to be a part of it. All’s not lost, though, since other car brands have already confirmed their plans to run commercials during the big game. As of today, Acura,->ke10 Audi,->ke14 Honda,->ke34 Hyundai,->ke201 Kia,->ke41 and Mini->ke57 are already lined up with more automakers scheduled to follow in the coming weeks. Don’t count on Mercedes changing its mind though.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

Why it matters

It’s a little surprising to hear that Mercedes-Benz isn’t going to have a presence in this year’s Super Bowl, but if you hear the company’s reasoning for sitting out the game, it makes sense. Obviously, money isn’t the problem because Mercedes can definitely afford a 60-second commercial, even if it costs $10 million.

But, according to representatives of the German automaker, the decision to skip Super Bowl 50 is more about using that money on other marketing endeavors that can promote a lot of its new models. It’s not a bad strategy by any means, but it is an interesting one considering that Super Bowl 50 could very well break the record of 114 million viewers that was set by last year’s game. If reaching as many people as you can is the objective, then there’s no better stage than the Super Bowl to do it.

Mercedes, though, is taking a different approach this year. Only time will tell if that strategy pays off as well as the company hopes it will.