THE 14TH ANNUAL SHORTY AWARDS

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media and digital. View this season's finalists!

Special Project

Special Project
From the 17th Annual Shorty Awards

Mercedes-Benz G-Turn Hammer

Entered in Creative Use of Technology

Objectives

Mercedes-Benz set out to showcase the engineering excellence and innovation behind the all-electric Mercedes-Benz G 580 with EQ Technology, emphasizing its unique ability to rotate on the spot (G-Turn). The goal was to create a high-impact, organic social media campaign that would maximize brand awareness, highlight product advantages, and drive consumer engagement.

 

Instead of relying on a traditional product demo, the campaign aimed to turn the G-Turn feature into an engaging visual story — one that would feel natural in digital culture, spark intrigue, and encourage social sharing. By leveraging a bold creative execution with CGI, the objective was to capture the vehicle’s power, control, and agility in a way that resonated with global audiences, positioning the G-Class EV as a leader in both performance and innovation.

Strategy and Execution

To bring this vision to life, we seamlessly combined real-world footage with hyper-realistic CGI, crafting a mixed-reality experience that felt indistinguishable from reality.

 

Creative Concept:

 

The campaign drew inspiration from the hammer throw, a sport where an athlete builds momentum before releasing a weighted ball. We translated this movement into a visual metaphor, showcasing the G-Turn’s strength and precision as the vehicle spun with a weighted ball attached. The moment of release created a dramatic payoff, making the feature instantly understandable, relatable, and highly shareable.

 

Key Execution Highlights:

1. Precision CGI & Seamless Integration – The video combined real-life footage with advanced CGI, ensuring the vehicle’s movement, weight transfer, and environment interaction felt authentic.

2. Authentic Environmental Effects – Special attention was given to sand displacement, tire grip, and dust dynamics to enhance realism.

3. Meticulous Lighting & Texturing – The vehicle, ball, and rope were textured with extreme detail, ensuring believable reflections, shadows, and material physics.

4. Immersive Sound Design – Layered SFX of sand, tension in the rope, and the EV motor’s hum reinforced the impact of every movement.

5. Designed for Virality – The video was structured to grab attention within the first three seconds, maximizing retention and shares.

 

By achieving an ultra-high level of realism, the execution blurred the lines between CGI and reality, making audiences question if what they saw was real — a key driver for viral engagement and buzz.

Results

The campaign became an instant viral sensation, setting new records for Mercedes-Benz and redefining how automotive innovation is showcased on social media.

 

100M+ Earned Media Impressions – Amplified by social shares, media features, and organic reach.

24M+ Views across owned media – The video dominated the brand’s social media platforms.

400K+ Engagements (likes, comments, shares) – One of the most interacted posts in Mercedes-Benz history.

#1 Most Viewed Instagram Post in Mercedes-Benz’ History – Achieving record-breaking reach.

$0 Paid Media Spent – 100% organic virality, proving the power of strong creative execution.

 

By transforming a technical product feature into a viral cultural moment, the campaign cemented Mercedes-Benz G 580’s innovation in the minds of millions.

Media

Entrant Company / Organization Name

Vertex CGI, Mercedes-Benz

Links

Entry Credits