Mercedes & Matchbox Team Up to Inspire Next Gen Female Drivers
New ad by Mercedes-Benz encourages girls to take their seat at the table, and especially behind the wheel.
It has long been assumed that cars are a “guy thing.” We haven seen this reflected in popular culture for years. But the truth is that there are many women that are true enthusiasts and gearheads. And for many of us, this love and fascination started when we were just kids. Mercedes-Benz teamed with Matchbox to embark on a new advertising campaign geared towards engaging younger girls. They show the next generation of drivers that women have long had an important role in the history of Mercedes-Benz.
The video, entitled “No Limits,” starts out with a group of first grade girls seated at a table with a selection of toys. They are asked to choose which they’d like to play with. The different girls go first towards the usual and expected: dolls, a tea set, a stuffed unicorn. A title card reads: “From a surprisingly young age, gender associations begin to shape our choices.”
We see a classic Mercedes Matchbox race car. The interviewer asks the girls why they didn’t choose the other toys, such as the car. The girls pick up the car, inspecting it.
“I think this is a boys toy,” one little girl says. “It’s a boy toy,” says another. After several of the young ladies repeat this sentiment, the interviewer asks them who usually drives race cars. “A boy,” answers one.
The interviewer then shows the girls a video on a tablet of noted Swiss race car Ewy Rosqvist.
They see Rosqvist during her time racing for Mercedes-Benz. She drives a Mercedes-Benz 220SE with cool, confident skill. She was the only woman competing in the 1962 Argentina Grand Prix, and was the first woman to win.
“They say I would never finish,” says Rosqvist in the video. “So I finish first.”
After seeing Rosqvist in action, the girls’ attitudes change. Their faces change: There is visible pride and excitement. Galvanized by seeing a girl driver, the kids now have a lot to say.
“I love that,” one girl says. “It makes me feel proud,” adds another. And one sums it up with a simple but confident reply, “Girls can be racers, too.”
They all start picking up the Matchbox cars and start playing. As part of this campaign, the 1962 Mercedes-Benz 220SE toy car will be gifted to various first grade girls across the country, and will be for sale in stores next year.
“Everyone told her she couldn’t do it, and then she did,” one girl says while playing with the car. “I think she believed in herself,” another explains, rolling the car along.
“Ewy’s story was an incredible story, and so we thought: ‘How do we pull it into a more contemporary format and make it as relevant today as when she won?’” Mark Aikman, general manager of marketing services for Mercedes-Benz USA, told Forbes. “This was where the idea of inspiring girls in their most formative years came from. They’re capable of doing everything they set their minds to; they have no limits.”
It is a very effective ad, and demonstrates how powerful inclusion is. We love the Matchbox car, and know (from personal experience) that there are many girls that will happily gravitate towards playing with toy cars over dolls. And by challenging the norms and showing what is possible, more girls are definitely likely to begin their lifelong love with Mercedes.
Photos: Screenshots
Join the MB World forums now!
