The “Love The Road” campaign introduced New Zealand to the Mercedes Benz C-Class using a magical combination of Kiwi roads, music by Joel Haines, stunning scenery and production values to match. They are a tribute to the joy of driving, the joy of the road. It was a stunning campaign with production standards equal to any I've seen irrespective of origin. It’s a pity it wasn't used internationally.
I’ve travelled these roads and they are why “going for a drive”, even if not in a Mercedes, can still be a pleasure in New Zealand. You can view the four “Love the Road” videos at the site, below are a few of my own favourite shots from the road…
Love the Road - www.lovetheroad.co.nz
Remember how it felt? That first flush of excitement. Just you and the road. The roar of the engine. The rumble of tyres on asphalt . Your heartbeat quickening. Your breathing deepening. It was love. It’s time to feel it again. Introducing the new Mercedes-Benz C-Class.
Background from daimlerchrysler.co.nz
The “Love The Road” campaign was a completely New Zealand produced campaign from the television commercial, to the photography of the asphalt and the billboards. It was only used in NZ at this stage. After three weeks of voting, hundreds of nominations and thousands of votes, the favourite NZ road is the Kaikoura Coast Road, which skirts the East Coast of the South Island.
The Kaikoura Coast Road, which runs alongside stunning rocky beaches, through road tunnels (which require the obligatory toot), past quaint crayfish caravans, never once leaving sight of the foaming Pacific, has been voted New Zealand’s best loved road on www.lovetheroad.co.nz.
This is a Mercedes-Benz initiative designed to celebrate the launch of the new C-Class and rekindle New Zealanders’ love of driving. Voters in the online campaign were encouraged to think about the pleasure and emotions they felt when driving particular roads in New Zealand and to identify their favourite from a list of 120 roads, highways and bypasses. New Zealanders' second favourite road is the Desert Road in the Central Plateau, followed closely by the Thames to Coromandel road in the North Island.
