Smart

When Roger Penske decided to bring the Smart Car to the U.S., he turned to Interbrand Design Forum. We created an experience around the microcar that’s distinctive, yet able to live within the brand architecture of its parent company, the Mercedes Group.

To excite the public and interest dealers, the design team created a traveling exhibit for prospective sellers to appear at six regional conference centers.

A “road show” semi-trailer was assembled to display Smart at concerts, festivals and sporting events in over 50 cities.

Lastly, a 3,000 sq. ft. branded dealership brings the brand to life as a retrofit, dual or stand-alone facility.

To convey the brand’s intelligence and joy of life — all within the idea of small — the design contains a concentrated amount of information, and special fixtures whose design was derived from the Smart color and logo. The feeling is open, lively and sylish. To “rehearse” the concept, the team built an inexpensive mock-up in a nearby warehouse where Penske was able to finalize the prototype.

The three-prong strategy resulted in a great deal of press coverage, attracted thousands of buyer reservations and generated a good deal of excitement. Penske’s goal was to sign up 60 dealerships to open in 2008 — he received applications for 1,200. The Smart car is now defying expectations, with demand strong in America’s most congested cities.