Mercedes- Benz began its title sponsorship of Fashion Week in the summer of 2010 with the intention of combining luxury automobiles with high class fashion and design. When it came time for Mercedes-Benz to associate with events to boost brand recognition, fashion week emerged as an obvious choice because of its commitment to sophisticated construction, elegant execution, and a forward-thinking midset—the same qualities that Mercedes-Benz strives to bring to its customers. Fashion week provides Mercedes- Benz with an invaluable platform to make an impression on potential buyers, as attendees of fashion week typically fall into the socio-economic class that Mercedes- Benz targets. Mercedes currently sponsors 30 fashion-related events across five continents each year and has become synonymous with high fashion and elegance.
“Our commitment to the fashion industry is a crucial element in our lifestyle marketing, and we’ve been working to support fashion at international level for a long time through the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Weeks in New York, Berlin, Milan and London. Design plays an important role in fashion as well as in the automotive world and is one of the key success factors for a brand. Innovation, perfection, elegance and style – that is the link between Mercedes-Benz and fashion”
-Anders-Sundt Jensen, Global Vice President Brand Communications at Mercedes-Benz
In 2011Mercedes-Benz showed just how much they value their sponsorship of high fashion events when they chose to debut their new SLK Roadster at New York Fashion Week. It was the first time the company debuted a vehicle at a fashion show, and the first time it extended its sponsorship activation through photo and street experiences outside the tents. Mercedes was able to lure over 1,800 attendees to its photo booth at Lincoln Center where participants could take a picture with the new 2012 SLK Roadster. Partakers were then given coded cards with instructions for downloading the picture online in addition too encouraging them to share it on various social media platforms. The photo activation garnered Mercedes a 63 percent rate of return on people going online and downloading their photo (Technology: eshots, Chicago).
Mercedes- Benz partnership with Fashion Week is an example of the elaboration likelihood model. Both Fashion Week and Mercedes benefit from being connected to one another because they are able to feed off of one another’s established customers and reputations. Mercedes is considered by most people to be a luxury car company that produces high cost and high quality vehicles for the upper class. When people who aren’t necessarily familiar with the fashion industry see the name “Mercedes-Benz” connected to Fashion Week, it gives the event instant credibility in the upper class circle. In terms of Mercedes-Benz benefiting, Fashion Week is generally viewed as an exclusive event limited to models, designers, and celebrities. Associating themselves with Fashion Week sends a message to the public that Mercedes-Benz is synonymous with success and wealth, two traits that are constant driving factors in society.
http://www.mbusa.com/mercedes/events/fashion