• by Karl Greenberg , October 11, 2010

Like a medical scientist who has gone back to school to learn auscultation on real patients, Mercedes-Benz U.S. marketing has devoted a lot of intellectual capital over the past two years to finding ways of getting in touch with Millennials to discover what they think of the brand and then mine them for ideas.

One example is the automaker's Generation Benz online community of nearly 500 20- to-40-year-old consumers -- both owners and non-owners of Mercedes vehicles -- whom Mercedes is using as a sounding board on Mercedes vehicles, competitive vehicles, and culture trends.

The Montvale, N.J.-based company's VP marketing, Steve Cannon, says the company is using the community to refine such things as a new program that gives iPads to dealers to help them answer customer questions during vehicle walk-arounds. The tablets extend a dealership network of rich-media interactive screens launched two years ago.

Like the screens, the tablets offer visually compelling views of vehicles, videos, examinations of specific features and options, but with touchscreen function and mobility. Cannon says the screens will be piloted at dealerships this year and that with the help of MB's finance arm, will be offered to dealers in 2011.

"We know Gen Y consumers are info-obsessed. They get data use," says Cannon. "These [tablets] represent a digital interface that allows consumers and salespeople to interact at point of sale. They will now have a device they can use to collaborate with buyers. It's transparent and essentially collaborative. And these are the kinds of things that Gen Y customers will come to expect."

Cannon says the Generation Benz program has come out of a "getting to know you" phase and is now generating ideas the company is acting upon. "At a certain point I'll say [to the Gen Benz community], 'Take a look at the iPad demo. Press play.' They will watch and give feedback. It allows us to close the gap between customer and marketer to almost zero."