Mercedes-Benz and Uber surprise Colombo with Sri Lanka’s first on-demand luxury ride experience

On 13 February, Mercedes-Benz Sri Lanka adorned the streets of Colombo with super-luxury vehicles in a Valentine’s experience unlike any other. Teaming up with Uber, the supercharged brand syndicate surprised riders with MercMyRide/UberSURPRISE – Sri Lanka’s first on-demand luxury ride experience.

The sporty-chic C200 and the elite S400 Hybrid were just two of the many vehicles that set out to give the people of Colombo the surprise of their life. All it took was an Uber request and a few lucky minutes later, a sleek and sumptuous Mercedes-Benz would take their breath away. 

Filled with lavish gifts including fresh roses, bespoke chocolates and extravagant bottles of Chandon Brut, every passenger indulged in their own cocoon of luxury for the night. In a span of just 4 hours, Mercedes-Benz gave couples the perfect gift of romance, transported vacationing tourists, CEOs and even a local celebrity.

Over the course of its illustrious history, Mercedes-Benz has always been committed to the best in technology and innovation, and MercMyRide/UberSURPRISE was no different. The strategic brand collaboration with Uber allowed both brands to share world-class resources and expertise for a new-age experience that adopted non-traditional marketing methods. With a central command center, live film crew and connected vehicles, the experience featured multiple levels of real-time collaboration to deliver a premium service to all passengers. 

Leading the collaboration was Saatchi & Saatchi Sri Lanka, one of the partner agencies assigned to the Mercedes-Benz account by its local parent company Diesel and Motor Engineering PLC (DIMO), one of the German automaker’s oldest authorised distributors in Asia.

“Adopting a digital and experiential approach has given Sri Lanka’s always-online generation an opportunity to be a part of Mercedes-Benz,” commented Rajeev Pandithage, General Manager – Sales and Parts at DIMO. “While the older demographic are the proud owners of our vehicles, the younger generation are the voice of Mercedes-Benz and its future, so it is important that we welcome their opinions and engage with them on familiar platforms that help build long-term loyalty and respect for the brand.”

Pandithage added, “As the world witnesses the growing convergence of automobile engineering and technology, we are delighted to have partnered with Uber to deliver only the best for their rapidly-growing rider base in Sri Lanka. Delivering the MercMyRide experience entirely through Uber’s state-of-the-art platform has proved successful in engaging with a new generation of Sri Lankans and augmented our market leadership for the years to come.”

Sajiv Panditha, Head of Planning and Innovation at Saatchi & Saatchi Sri Lanka said: “The brand chemistry between Mercedes-Benz and Uber offer the perfect opportunity to do something Sri Lanka has never seen before. Combining an iconic heritage of innovation with disruptive technologies has enabled us to inspire the future of how brands engage with consumers.”

Shyala Smith, Creative Director and Digital Strategist at Saatchi & Saatchi Sri Lanka added: “MercMyRide with UberSURPRISE was conceptualised, promoted and executed using only digital and experiential platforms. Having fully embraced these two rapidly-growing mediums, Mercedes-Benz have taken a great leap forward for Sri Lanka and set a new benchmark in brand communications for the country.”

To look back at action from MercMyRide/UberSURPRISE, watch the experience video and browse through the photos on the Mercedes-Benz Sri Lanka Facebook Page.