Comments on: Mercedes E-Class Ad Copy – ‘Butt’ of Critics’ Jokes

By: Eve Nash

Eve Nash — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:28:24 +0000

Ooops—forgot why I was replying…which is to say, Steve Smith, I agree that their whole ad slant was to appeal to a hipper audience, which is laudable, but don’t they actually know any 30-somethings they could run their new slogans by?
Haven’t they ever heard of Urban Dictionary?
(It’s not all gangsta thug-ho talk–some of it’s really clever and fresh.)

By: Eve Nash

Eve Nash — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:26:20 +0000

It’s true, Steve, the extra “t” is what made it “butt,” but it’s also necessary to the (I assume) root word “attractive.”
So, all in all…a dog.

By: Steve Smith

Steve Smith — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:19:06 +0000

Amazing, isn’t it, how a single small detail can make the entire campaign subject to harsh criticism. All they had to do was delete one of the t’s to avert the whole “fat butt” controversy.

I have to say though, in defense of the campaign’s overall theme, MB knows that it must continue to appeal to younger, hipper consumers – the ones that love BMW’s.

By: Susan Gunelius

Susan Gunelius — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:28:49 +0000

Eve, thanks so much! I’m glad you like my blog. I agree that ’superfect’ is definately better than ‘fabuttractive’, but I can’t help but thinking it’s a word high school girls would use and respond to, not Mercedes customers. I’d imagine a 14-year old ten years ago saying, “Oh my gosh, the Backstreet Boys are superfect,” but I can’t imagine a Mercedes customer walking into the showroom and saying, “that Mercedes E-class is superfect.” It seems like a copywriting disconnect. By the way, I didn’t see the ‘fat butt’, but that’s hilarious and makes it that much worse!

By: Susan Gunelius

Susan Gunelius — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:25:21 +0000

I think you’re right, Alex. The ‘cool’ thing to do in copywriting these days is merging words. It’s already boring though.

By: Eve Nash

Eve Nash — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 02:40:35 +0000

I completely agree with your take on “Fabuttractive.” You can’t miss the “butt” and to some of us, it even looks like “fat butt.”

I think they were possibly channeling the (successful) Farvigneugin campaign (or whatever that word was for the driving excitement you get from Volkswagen!) and as the poster above pointed out, it seems to be a German thing, with the way their language is constructed.

I disagree with you on the “Superfect” part though— I sort of liked that– It conjures up “superb, superlative, super, perfect” and I think it kind of works. The “fabuttractive” (not fabtastic) right on its heels though, makes it less workable.

I like your blog, and your style!

By: Alex

Alex — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:51:04 +0000

I’m wondering if this campaign was influenced heavily by Mercedes in Germany. The reason: where we work (yip, in Germany), we’ve seen this idea a lot recently. It seems to be a German thing. Merging words, sometimes painfully, to be unique.

We dismissed it in localisation projects as the play on words usually doesn’t work in another language. The German clients didn’t like our feedback, though. They like the “cleverness” of the copy. Maybe it appeals to the local sense of humour. Or it’s the latest German advertising agency trend?

Whatever’s happening here, I agree with your assessment of this Mercedes ad for the States! It’s NOT target market.

The BUTT issue is one I’d not seen though – but I’m a Brit so it doesn’t count.

Thought: maybe Mercedes didn’t check the ad with people from your side of the Atlantic!