• by Gavin O'Malley  @mp_gavin, September 26, 2005

Mercedes-Benz today is expected to launch an elaborate rich media campaign on the automotive research site Edmunds.com to promote its new R-Class luxury vehicle. After a user clicks on one of the many banner ads placed throughout Edmunds.com, an "avatar"--or friendly tour guide character--walks onto their screen and delivers a tailored sales pitch.

The customized messages are based on users' existing site location--from the new car category page or luxury category page, to the SUV category page or model overview page--as well as users' on-site behavior.

Notably, all of the information is delivered on the Edmunds site, but if an interested buyer is still curious by the end of the avatar's pitch, he or she is encouraged to move onto the R-Class's microsite at MBUSA.com.

The R-Class's online initiative, which was designed by Mercedes' longtime online agency Critical Mass, is meant to complement a multi-channel ad campaign, which launched last week in spot markets across the country. The campaign is supposed to reach full schedule at the end of this month and the beginning of next, as all R-Class models arrive at dealerships nationwide. There will also be additional online advertising on kbb.com--Kelley Blue Book--and on MSN.com and Cars.com, among others.

"The idea is to deliver information in a way that is both engaging to the viewer and utilizes the innovative, experiential communication that appeals to the tech-savvy buyer of our new R-Class," Carol Goll, Mercedes-Benz USA's general manager of brand experience marketing, said in a prepared statement.

Mercedes chose Edmunds.com to host the rich media application because of the site's capability and its reach, according to Mercedes. Edmunds.com attracts 4.3 million monthly users, according to the company. Also, a typical Edmunds user is on the site for about 20 minutes per month, intends to purchase a new vehicle, and is between the ages of 25 and 54--the identified R-Class target audience.

In addition to national and local television advertising, R-Class print advertising will run in USA Today, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. Magazine advertising will begin in October in automotive, technology, home, and travel publications, and newsweeklies.