From OEM to luxury,made visible.
Mercedes-Benz chose one clear direction: to think and act like a luxury brand. Together with Mercedes-AMG, we used computer vision to make visible where the brand stood visually, and we track monthly how it moves toward the luxury world.
Away from the “sea of sameness.”
In its strategy, Mercedes-Benz wanted to move away from what it calls the “sea of sameness of automotive photography,” and start behaving like a luxury brand. That raised the question: where does AMG stand visually right now relative to OEM competitors and luxury brands, and how can we steer on it measurably?
See the Mercedes-Benz strategy update“Luxury creates that irrational desire. It’s tone-setting. It’s long-lasting and iconic.”
Bettina Fetzer
Head of Marketing, Mercedes-Benz
No opinions, just the data.
We ran all public ad and organic visuals from the OEM and luxury brands through our computer-vision systems. We summarized each brand into a single point on a positioning matrix: where it stands, and what sets it apart.
Mercedes-AMG relative to the OEM and luxury clusters, tracked over time.
It started with one extensive scan. Since then, we measure the movement every month. Over several quarters, we saw AMG shift measurably toward the luxury cluster.
Deliberate, where it was unconscious
Part of what set AMG apart from OEM competitors, the brand was doing without knowing it. By making it visible, they could steer on it deliberately: reinforce the right elements, and purposefully add what moves it toward luxury.
Measured again every month
Not a one-off report, but an ongoing service. You see your brand move, quarter after quarter, and adjust based on what the data shows.
The white space
The analysis also exposed visual elements that no brand in the market is using yet. Open space to claim first.
The same method, brand after brand.
The positioning matrix shows where a brand stands. The same systems also show which visual choices determine that, often choices a brand makes unconsciously, at every level: from the signal your whole brand sends to the build-up of a single ad.
The distinction was in the signals themselves: captions in the image and sharp suits on the staff, without anyone having planned it that way. Once that became visible, they steered deliberately on the associations they really wanted to evoke.
A level deeper, it turned out to be in the build-up of the image: from which angle and at what size a car stands out most, and that a blurred background, as if the car is driving, performs best.
And one level higher, we see patterns that recur with every brand. Contrasting colors, for instance, consistently draw the most attention. We won’t claim to know exactly why, but we found a possible answer in ethology:
“Studies show that attraction to contrasting colors originate from evolutionary survival mechanisms, enabling our ancestors to efficiently locate food and identify danger. Over time, this preference has shaped our aesthetic tastes.”
Curious where your brand stands visually?
We map your position relative to your competitors, and track the movement month after month.