The all-new 2013 SL at the Oscars

It wasn’t just Hollywood stars that went to the Kodak Theater last Sunday as the entertainment industry celebrated the 84th Academy Awards. As Hollywood’s elite strutted towards the theater, another kind of star made sure it shone that evening as all eyes were glued to the TV watching the Oscars.

Mercedes-Benz chose this event to debut the airing of its new campaign for the all-new 2013 SL 550 Roadster, the sixth generation of the SL line, with a 60-second spot video ad themed “State of the Art” to coincide with this year’s Oscars airing.

“The new SL is totally redesigned with innovation and styling that breaks new ground in the category,” stated Steve Cannon, president and CEO, Mercedes-Benz USA. “The Oscars is a great moment to kick off this campaign, which artfully portrays the historical significance and beauty of the SL as the new model steps into the spotlight to create the next chapter in a storied legacy.”

The video starts off with the 1952 300 SL Carrera Panamericana racecar racing past a cheering crowd, then it gets passed by a 1960 300 SL convertible, and sequentially newer and newer SL models representing the next generation SL continue to overtake with the background evolving as well. As if it goes through a time warp, each setting represents a different era with the all-new 2013 SL taking the final lead, and Mercedes-Benz dubs it as “our most breathtaking model ever.”

Aside from last week’s Oscars premier, the ad will run for another six weeks to support the SL’s vehicle retail launch. Last year, both Mercedes-Benz and BMW were among the top 10 most effective advertising spots that aired during the 83rd annual Academy Awards.

Based on a study from Ace Metrix, it showed that automotive ads held four of the top 10 most effective ads during that event, with BMW and Mercedes-Benz positioned in the top spots. The study further noted that luxury automakers tended to take advantage of this event to showcase their 2011 models using 30-second ad spots.