Mercedes-Benz has launched a virtual influencer mascot in a bid to stay relevant with the next generation of motorists.
The German automaker joined forces with digital animation studio Superplastic to launch Superdackel, an animated dachshund mascot based on Mercedes’ ‘Wackeldackel’ nodding dogs introduced in the 1960s. The new mascot launched at CES 2023 with an animated video and 2.5m tall statue.
Formerly a familiar sight on dashboards, the launch is a reimagining of the cute companions for a new audience. Superdackel will appear across a range of Mercedes’ social media content, together with two of Superplastic’s existing characters.
Superplastic is well known in the web3 space for its ‘synthetic celebrities’. It’s essentially an entertainment company tying together threads in the emerging web3 space, from NFT design to the creation virtual influencers. Big names the company has previously worked with include Tommy Hilfiger and rapper Vince Staples.
The initiative looks to tap into the growing popularity of gaming and the potential of virtual influencers among younger generations. Several of Superplastic’s existing characters have over a million followers on Instagram, including Guggimon (1.5m followers) and Janky (1m followers).
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