KANYE WEST "THE OTHER, OTHER BENZ"

KANYE WEST OTHER OTHER BENZ from Creative Control on Vimeo.

Kanye West shown leaving the Mercedes Benz ML 430 behind and upgrading to the G 550 Wagon in 2002. Mercedes Benz rep tells us that he is trying to get him to go even higher and upgrade to the $300,000 Maybach that was yet to be released at this time. I wonder in 2011 if Kanye West still purchases his Maybachs from this same sales rep.

Teen Dream: Driver's Ed, Courtesy of Mercedes

Marketing 101 (along with actual demographic research) teaches that brand loyalty tends to be established at a young age—the painfully image-conscious adolescent years, especially. This is why a number of nervier adult brands have rolled out youth extensions: Pink by Victoria’s Secret, for instance, or Teen Vogue, or U.K. brand King of Shaves’ recently introduced Kings 1965, a line of shaving products targeted at teen boys hard at work on their first whiskers. Well, get ready youth of America: Mercedes-Benz is the latest grown-up brand to want you.


No, the iconic German automaker isn’t cranking out a new line of skateboards. Rather, Mercedes-Benz USA just announced the creation of a teen driving school that’ll open later this year (cost and location undisclosed). The project is a pond jump from the U.K.-based Mercedes-Benz Driving Academy—also aimed at youth—that opened in 2009. Some 4,500 peach-faced motorists have taken that course, which surely beats the sleep-inducing 30-hour class we all endured during high school. Seventy-nine percent of the U.K. school grads passed their road test on the first try, which is nearly double the U.K. average of 43 percent.

Of course, Mercedes’ stated aim for the U.S. teen-driving school is to turn out safe drivers, not the next Dale Earnhardt. “The skills required to simply get a license do not fully prepare young drivers to meet the demands of the road,” according to Daimler AG’s senior manager Alexander Hobbach—and who are we to doubt the man?

But let’s separate out the parts here. Most teen boys in America are as likely to get a chance to test the 4.3-second, 0-to-60 acceleration of a Mercedes coupe as they are to get a date with one of the Kardashians. So once you give Junior a spin around the track with 451 horses under the hood and his hands on that leather Alcantara-grip steering wheel, tell us: When he grows up, what brand of car do you think he’ll want to buy?

Hence, this looks like a smart move for Mercedes, which, by the way, already offers a roving driver’s class for adults called the Mercedes AMG Driving Academy at various racetracks around the country. The basic course starts at around $1,800—an amount that, last we checked, was considerably cheaper than an SLS convertible.

RALPH LAUREN X VENUS WILLIAMS :: ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

Ralph Lauren is the Official Sponsor of the US Open and has been doing a series of Legend’s Clinics live on its website. Today at 2pm Venus Williams is hosting a web clinic click the picture to join the chat!

MERCEDES BENZ: F800

We were eagerly anticipating the debut of the latest and greatest from Stuttgart. This time it came in the form of the F800, a research design study that really speaks to the current direction of the brand. While some seem to think the F800 is a precursor to the next-generation CLS, we think it’s more likely that the CLS would merely borrow from a few design successes of the F800. The vehicle itself was lent a few things from existing Benz models, with the C-Class pug nose and the heroic, single-bar grille found on the SLS, among others. The headlamps certainly scream CLS, and with LED-mania still in full swing it stands to reason that we could be looking at the newest iteration of Mercedes lights. The rear of the car is not traditional Benz; the rear lights have migrated from the top of the trunk and are now oblong, bearing a resemblance to several current Jaguar lights. The F800 has also jumped on the oversized exhaust-port bandwagon, which is typically a sleek look but on this model looks too chunky and futuristic. The car really shines from the side, however; the beltline fades in and out at the rear doors, which is a truly terrific look. The rising line from the bottom of the front doors (a look copied on both luxury and economy cars these days) continues seamlessly onto the rear bumper and integrates very well into the overall design of the car.

Courtesy of http://www.labelhoard.com/ :: Be Sure To Check Our Their Blog As Well. Great Lifestyle and Luxury Insight.

KUSTAA SAKSI: NIKE INSTALLATION

1948 is Nike’s creative playground-retail store in the old brick railway arches of Shoreditch, London. In addition to displaying and selling shoes, 1948 offers an entire art floor for events, installations and assorted fun.

The installation created by Finland-born illustrator/artist/designer Kustaa Saksi is all about the historical fun journey of the Nike running shoe. Typical for the currently Amsterdam-based Saksi, the sprawling scene has a pop-art, retro feel that fits Nike’s history as a brand. Saksi’s Volkswagen van and psychedelic colors illustrate the pre-swoosh era in an earnest and deliberately clunky way.

Saksi’s last name translates as “scissor,” or it could also be “Saxon,” depending on your preference. He is proficient in many media, including print, sculpture and now also more frequently 3D. Saksi has also designed massive building wraps, and even clothing and wallpaper. His book, Offpiste (2008), is a visual feast of his recent work. In addition to Nike, Saksi’s client list includes Comme des Garçons, Citroen, Diesel, Issey Miyake, Lacoste, Levi's, New York Times, Mercedes Benz, MTV, Playboy and Wallpaper.

MERCEDES BENZ, MICROSOFT RUN ADS VIA CBS SPORTS’ NCAA MARCH MADNESS APPS

During the best time of year for college basketball fans, Mercedes Benz is sponsoring the CBS Sports BlackBerry application while Microsoft is advertising within one of the television network’s new iPhone applications.

CBS Sports Mobile, in partnership with CBSSports.com, CBS Sports and the NCAA, has launched new mobile products for the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship. Following up on last year's NCAA March Madness on Demand (MMOD) application, CBS is distributing both a premium, live-video application for $9.99 and a free "lite" version that is ad-supported, both for Apple’s iPhone and iPod touch.

“The lite version of NCAA MMOD is ad-supported, and Microsoft is our partner that will be serving ads as part of a cross-channel campaign,” said Rob Gelick, senior vice president and general manager at CBS Mobile, San Francisco, CA. “Rich-media ad units are integrated, including full page ads, both interstitials and launch screens.

“We’re offering a number of expandable ad units that start as banners and expand, and they’re actionable, because users can tap to visit a brand’s microsite,” he said. “We also have a CBS Sports-branded application for the BlackBerry covering the college basketball content for the tournament itself in partnership with Mercedes-Benz.

“There is also the core all-sports offering that is already out there, the CBS Sports iPhone app, which also has NCAA tournament coverage, and Audi is advertising within that.”

Microsoft advertised within the free lite version of CBS Sports' NCAA MMOD app

CBS Interactive, a division of CBS Corp., is an online content network for information and entertainment.

With 200 million people visiting its properties each month, it is a top 10 Web property globally and a top five Web property in the U.S. in terms of unique video viewers.

The company's portfolio of leading brands, which include CNET, CBS.com, CBSSports.com, GameSpot, TV.com, BNET, CBS Radio and Last.fm, span categories such as technology, entertainment, sports, news and business.

The premium version of CBS Sports' NCAA MMOD features live streaming mobile video of the NCAA tournament

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a membership-led nonprofit association of colleges and universities committed to supporting academic and athletic opportunities for more than 400,000 student-athletes at more than 1,000 member colleges and universities.

Ad campaigns

In the instance of Mercedes Benz and Microsoft, the ads click through to the companies’ mobile-optimized Web sites, which contain both video and photographic gallery elements that let users interact with various products that these brands offer.

With Microsoft, the company's microsite opens within the iPhone application.

With the BlackBerry applications, the Mercedes-Benz microsite opens within a newly launched mobile Web browser.

In both cases, the user who is on the microsite can easily get back to the full application experience, according to CBS.

Mobile madness

The NCAA March Madness on Demand (MMOD) premium application offers live streaming video and video highlights of the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, a.k.a. the Big Dance.

The premium application has a one-time download fee of $9.99.

Coverage begins with the NCAA Basketball Championship Selection Show on March 14 and continues with every game from the first round of the tournament through the semifinals and championship of the Men's Final Four.

New this year, in collaboration with AT&T, the live video will be delivered over 3G, EDGE and Wi-Fi connections.

Premium application users can also receive score alerts and listen to live game radio broadcasts from Westwood One throughout the entire tournament, starting with the Opening Round game on March 16.

In addition to the premium application, CBS Sports Mobile has also produced a free, "lite" version that is the perfect companion for any March Madness fan, which has Microsoft as the launch sponsor.

Microsoft is running expandable banner ads within the application promoting Windows 7 with the tagline “Simplify your PC. Fast.”

When users tap the banner, a landing page opens within the application and a seven-second Windows 7 demonstration video plays.

The lite application provides on-demand video highlights from every game, live scores and comprehensive news coverage of both the 2010 conference tournaments and NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

Both the free and premium NCAA MMOD applications feature an interactive tournament bracket that updates with real-time scores, plus news headlines and the ability for users to log into Facebook and Twitter and connect with their friends.

Fans can follow the Road to the Final Four with exclusive CBSSports.com Edge Matchup game previews, including team breakdowns and matchup comparisons.

Users can also make their CBSSports.com bracket selections directly from the application, and track their progress throughout the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.

Developed by CBS Sports Mobile with partner MLB Advanced Media, both the NCAA March Madness on Demand applications are now available from Apple's App Store on iPhone and iPod touch at http://www.itunes.com/appstore.

NCAA March Madness on Demand's standard video player launched on March 10 with historical highlights from past NCAA tournaments and is available at http://mmod.ncaa.com, as well as via MMOD links on CBSSports.com.

The NCAA March Madness on Demand application for iPhone and iPod touch users will expire at the end of the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, on April 5, 2010.

Feeling the Flo

CBS Mobile is also offering live video of the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, through the CBS Mobile Channel on Flo TV.

AT&T subscribers of the Flo TV service can watch live video of 63 games from the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, from the first round of the tournament through the semifinals and championship of the Men's Final Four.

The Flo TV service is currently available through AT&T, the exclusive wireless partner of the NCAA, and other wireless providers to more than 200 million consumers across more than 100 markets.

The Flo TV service can be viewed on several handsets from LG, the official mobile device of the NCAA and other manufacturers.

Spreading the word

While CBS expects that word of mouth is helping its applications spread virally, the company is also running a marketing campaign to actively drive downloads of its applications.

“The CBS Mobile group’s perspective is active outreach, and we’re heavily working with our own internal network, a number of different brands and 40-plus applications that we actively manage, using inventory across all of our properties to promote the apps,” Mr. Gelick said.

“The GameSpot iPhone app and the TV.com iPhone app are two primary places you’ll see it,” he said. “We’re also working with select external partners to run CPC ad units, display ad units, custom video ad units and a paid search campaign with select mobile keywords.”

MERCEDES-BENZ PREMIERED NEW GREEN ADS DURING OSCARS

If you're not running to the kitchen for a snack, you might catch Mercedes-Benz hyping its S400 Hybrid during the Academy Awards on Sunday. The green-themed ad is called "Tree of Innovation," and showcases the company's line of environmentally-focused vehicles. Jon Hamm, star of "Mad Men," does the voiceover.

Is this greenwashing or something more? The 2010 S400 Hybrid is the first production vehicle powered by a lithium-ion battery, the car maker says, which is designed to be more compact and energy-efficient than conventional batteries. Mercedes-Benz also offers one other hybrid and three BlueTEC clean diesels.

"For decades we've been experimenting with alternative powerplant vehicles--from the days we invented the diesel more than 70 years ago--but for the first time it seems like the market is ready for these vehicles," says Stephen Cannon, vice president of marketing for MBUSA.