Mercedes boosts green credentials with ad linked to 'Avatar' sequel

Just as “Black Panther” marketing reaches a crescendo, the brand hype has started for the year’s next mega-blockbuster, “Avatar.” Mercedes-Benz debuted a co-promotional campaign with the sci-fi sequel, called “Avatar: The Way of Water,” which hits theaters Dec. 16.

The effort, created in partnership with Avatar’s movie studio 20th Century Studios, will run globally and plug Mercedes’ elective vehicle lineup, including the Mercedes-EQ and EQE crossover. Ads will run on TV, in cinemas as well as digital and social media.

An ad released Friday shows a woman being transported from a parking lot into Avatar’s fantastical world, filled with tropical forests, flying creatures and exotic sea life. The tagline, “Earth is Our Pandora,” is aimed at linking Mercedes with environmental causes while also serving as a film reference — Pandora is the name of the fictional planet invaded by the U.S. Armed Forces in search of minerals in the original movie, set in the year 2154. 

The ad was created by Team X, Omnicom Group's dedicated Mercedes agency.

“Avatar,” which opened in 2009, went on to become a major box office hit. It remains the highest-grossing film of all time, raking in more than $2.8 billion, according to Hollywood Reporter. 

That set the stage for major brand interest in the sequel. It is directed by James Cameron just like the original, and tells the story of the Sully family and “the trouble that follows them, the lengths they go to keep each other safe, the battles they fight to stay alive, and the tragedies they endure,” according to the movie’s website. 

The first movie was praised by critics for tackling heady themes. “It has a flat-out Green and anti-war message,” Roger Ebert wrote in a 2009 review.

Mercedes is latching on to those progressive concepts in an attempt to promote a corporate program called Ambition 2039, which includes a pledge to be carbon-neutral by 2039 through goals such as converting its fleet to all-electric vehicles by the end of the decade. 

“Avatar is one of the most successful film franchises in the world with a message that is also central to the Mercedes ethos and the targets set out in our ‘Ambition 2039.’ We share the belief that we need a more respectful approach to nature and that we must conserve its resources,” Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius said in a statement.

The automaker got an early jump on the Avatar marketing — at CES in 2020, it debuted a concept car called Vision AVTR in partnership with the movie. The vehicle, which stands for Advanced Vehicle Transformation, envisions an autonomous car that “enables a completely new interaction between man, machine and nature,” according to Mercedes. It is made from sustainable materials such as vegan leather and has features like a console control that when touched by a human “comes to life and the vehicle recognizes them by their heart rate.”

Avatar’s December release follows this month’s debut of “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” another sequel that drew major brand interest. So far those marketing bets appear to be paying off. As reported this week by Ad Age, co-branded deals with the movie are producing billions of TV impressions, led by Target, Lexus, Sprite, Mastercard and McDonald’s.