Pride, Passion and Faith Mark New Mercedes Marketing Initiative

New MBUSA Advertising Campaign Debuts Today

MONTVALE, N.J., March 29 -- "Nobody ever poses with their toaster" proclaims a new Mercedes-Benz ad featuring a pictorial array of nearly a century of Mercedes-Benz owners and their automobiles. The ad, one of three television spots which will debut this week, marks the launch of a comprehensive marketing initiative which will emphasize the unique and enduring relationship between the brand and its customers.

According to Michelle Cervantez, vice president, marketing for Mercedes- Benz USA (MBUSA), "Over the next two years, we will be introducing more new models than ever before in our history. And, beyond our traditional buyer, we'll be introducing products for people who have never had any experience with the brand. What we want to do is to make the brand come alive for them in a way they can relate to. And we believe this campaign does that in terms of capturing what it is that is quintessentially Mercedes-Benz, and that is best expressed by the passion and pride of our owners themselves."

Two of the ads -- Multiple Portraits (:30/:60) and Framed Portraits (:30) -- utilize a series of photos of Mercedes-Benz owners and their vehicles. Most of the photos were submitted by the owners themselves following an internet and print advertising solicitation earlier this year to Mercedes owners asking them to submit photos of themselves with their vehicles.

In Multiple Portraits the photo montage is set to a high-energy musical score called "Au Reve" by DJ Cassius. The spot closes with the line, "No one ever poses with their toaster. Unlike Any Other. Mercedes-Benz." Framed Portraits features a specially created score called "Amazed" by singer/songwriter Mozella and ends with, "The love never fades. Unlike Any Other. Mercedes-Benz."

The ads will run on national cable and spot television. Corresponding print executions will begin running in May issues of publications such as Gourmet, Forbes, GQ and National Geographic Traveler.

The third spot in the campaign is called Faithful. The powerful spot (airing in :30 and :60 units) is as much a documentary as it is a commercial, featuring real people, real stories, real cars. The ad plays on the fact that few brands enjoy as much instant recognition and affection as Mercedes- Benz.

Containing nine separate and very different stories, Faithful travels from place to place to illustrate how the lives of many Mercedes owners have been touched by the car they drive. In South Africa, a veterinarian stands in front of his trusted 22 year-old G-Class -- a vehicle which aids him in his work in relocating elephants across the continent. A pair of emergency medical personnel in Copenhagen stand beside their specially equipped ML320 for thousands of life-saving rescue missions. A family stands next to the wreckage of the actual 2003 E320 sedan that helped save their lives in a late- night highway collision. A stoic man shows off the car that has heroically endured 33 winters in the frigid Bavarian Alps. The spot ends with a man and his wife of many years and the car they have driven over a million miles together and the simple yet poignant statement, "Nothing will make a driver more faithful to a car than a car that is faithful to its driver." A complementary print execution will run in newspapers.

According to Alex Gellert, CEO at Merkley + Partners, MBUSA's advertising agency, "The idea for the campaign came out of our goal of producing a body of work that would distinguish Mercedes in the marketplace. The direction we chose was inherent in the brand: no other automaker has the heritage and the history -- the breadth and the scope -- of the Mercedes brand."

The theme of the enduring relationship between Mercedes-Benz owners and their vehicles will continue through a multi-tiered marketing initiative that will run for the remainder of the year in consumer events, collateral, internet marketing and relationship marketing.

Cervantez says, "It was impossible, even for us, to anticipate what a response this call to our owners would create. Every day, dozens of photos and stories come in from owners who want to share their experiences. We realized that this is a tapestry that we have to continue."

In mid-April, the company will create a section on its website for owners to post their photos. During the summer, MBUSA will take the brand and, through photos, its owners across the country as part of the "LoveMercedes" brand driving tour.

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA), headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, is responsible for the sales, marketing and service of all Mercedes-Benz and Maybach products in the United States. In 2003, MBUSA achieved an all-time sales record of 218,717 new vehicles, setting the highest sales volume ever in its history and achieving ten consecutive years of sales growth. More information on MBUSA and its products can be found at www.mbusa.com.

Merkley + Partners (www.merkleyandpartners.com) is a leading full-service advertising agency. Founded in 1993, M+P has nearly a half-billion dollars in billings and more than 250 employees. Headquartered in New York City, M+P is a part of Omnicom Group Inc. , a leading global marketing and communications company.

NOTE TO EDITORS: Accredited journalists and editors can access press materials by registering at www.media.mbusa.com.