Mercedes-Benz has brought its global ‘140 Years. 140 Places.’ expedition to India, with BBDO India’s team x shaping the country chapter. Instead of treating India as another stop on a 60,000-kilometre journey across six continents, the campaign positions the visit as a homecoming for the brand’s 140-year legacy.
Three S-Class cars, three Indian routes
The India leg used three S-Class vehicles called Bertha, Carl and Gottlieb:
- Gottlieb moved from New Delhi through Amritsar, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, crossed the Himalayas and Umling La, and returned to Delhi via Lucknow, Varanasi, Patna and Bhutan.
- Bertha travelled through Hampi, Bengaluru and Goa before reaching Mumbai.
- Carl also covered Hampi, Bengaluru and Goa en route to Mumbai.
Mumbai as the local finale
In Mumbai, BBDO India used two familiar voices to bring the city’s character into the anniversary story. Kiara Advani’s film introduces Bertha as her “new bestie” and takes the car from Old Bombay’s heritage and architecture to the city’s modern skyline and nightlife, finishing with a Mumbai location sticker placed on Bertha. A separate Karan Johar-led film uses his own connection with Mumbai to offer another perspective on the city.
Santosh Iyer, Managing Director & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, said the tour aims to capture India’s cultural tapestry, architecture, geographical diversity and the energy of customers. Josy Paul, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer, BBDO India (team X), explained that the team wanted India to feel like a homecoming rather than “just another destination on a 140-year global journey.”
Why this matters for marketers
The campaign is a useful case study in balancing a global brand platform with local relevance. Mercedes-Benz is using one global milestone—140 years since Carl Benz’s Patent-Motorwagen, widely recognised as the world’s first automobile—but letting each market build its own cultural narrative. In India, the S-Class becomes a lens for landscapes, heritage and urban life, with local celebrities adding relatability without shifting the product’s luxury positioning.
What to apply
Teams running global campaigns in India can borrow a simple framework:
- Keep the global story intact: the anniversary, product and journey remain consistent.
- Find a local emotional hook: here, “homecoming” replaces “destination.”
- Use local voices strategically: Kiara Advani and Karan Johar connect Mumbai’s old and new identity.
- Make the product the protagonist: the S-Class carries the story across routes, not just in studio shots.
For brand marketers, the lesson is to avoid simply translating a global film. Instead, identify a local cultural truth that lets the same global message sound native.
Source: MediaNews4U
