World's First Tweet-Fueled Race is On!

MONTVALE, N.J., Feb. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Teams involved in the world's first Tweet-fueled race (http://www.facebook.com/#!/mercedesbenzusa?v=app_171625276202183), the ground-breaking social media campaign by Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA) that complements its first time advertising on the Super Bowl ad, hits the road today. Four two-person teams leave from one of four cities — Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Tampa — and head to Dallas in custom-outfitted Mercedes-Benz vehicles, relying on Tweets to get them to the finish line.

With Dallas as the end goal on February 4, each team is attempting to generate as much Twitter activity, or "Tweet Fuel," as possible along a 1,500-mile route over the next three days. The teams can pick up extra points by engaging their followers in social-media-related challenges throughout the journey. The team that reaches the finish line with the highest total score will be declared the winner.  The prize for the driver and co-driver:  an all-new 2012 C-Class Coupe which will debut later this year. To help rally online support, each team has the help of a Twitter–savvy celebrity coach – Serena Williams, Pete Wentz, Nick Swisher and Rev Run – who are also raising funds for charities in the process.

Consumers that support one of the four teams stand a chance to win a V.I.P. trip for two to a Mercedes-Benz sponsored event of their choice, should that team emerge victorious: the 2011 US Open, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in September 2011 or the 2011 PGA Championship. By participating in the race on Twitter, followers also put themselves in the running for one of 20 Tweet Race MVT (Most Valuable Tweeter) Awards that come with an exclusive Mercedes-Benz luggage set.

How The Race Works

"Tweet Fuel" is generated when a team's Twitter handle, assigned hashtag, or tweeted content is retweeted or replied to. Any unused Tweet Fuel left at the end of the day is converted into points and added to the teams' respective total scores. Over the last few weeks, the teams amassed thousands of Twitter followers in anticipation of the race start and will now rely on the support of their social media communities to propel them to victory. To supplement the Tweet Fuel, a series of challenges are designed to help the teams generate additional points. While these challenges are optional, their completion earns points towards their total score. Challenges include "Meet the Family" in which the teams can Tweet photographs of other Mercedes-Benz vehicles they spot on the road to Dallas and include the hashtag #MBFAMILY, or "America's Game" where they can pay homage to football's biggest prize by stopping by a local high school, college, or pro-football stadiums and snapping a photo of themselves in that football setting. The Race Director tallys each day's points for an overall score. The team with the highest total score at the end of the race will be declared the winner.

"We're really excited in seeing how this plays out now that the Race is on," said Stephen Cannon, vice president of Marketing for MBUSA.  "The teams are incredibly creative and over the past few weeks they've generated content and interpreted the Mercedes-Benz brand in very cool and unexpected ways across virtually every social media platform to rally support for their teams and the charities.  They each bring a unique perspective and ability to the Race and it will be interesting to see how they leverage that to power them across the finish line."

About Mercedes-Benz USA

Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA), headquartered in Montvale, New Jersey, is responsible for the distribution, marketing and customer service for all Mercedes-Benz and Maybach products in the United States.  MBUSA offers drivers the most diverse line-up in the luxury segment with 12 model lines ranging from the sporty C-Class to the flagship S-Class sedans and the SLS AMG supercar.

MBUSA is also responsible for the distribution, marketing and customer service of Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Vans in the US.  More information on MBUSA and its products can be found at www.mbusa.com and www.mbsprinterusa.com.

About Key Partners

A key partner in the development and implementation of the "Tweet Race to the Big Game," Razorfish is one of the largest interactive marketing and technology companies in the world with offices around the globe.  It combines the best thought leadership of the consulting world with the leading capabilities of the marketing services industry. Razorfish's expertise includes Social Influence Marketing, emerging media, creative design, analytics, technology and user experience.  With sister agencies Starcom MediaVest, ZenithOptimedia, Denuo (a gaming, social, mobile and collaboration creative innovation unit which is active partner in the Twitter Race) and Digitas, Razorfish is part of Publicis Groupe's VivaKi, a global digital knowledge and resource center.

MBUSA's full-service advertising agency of record – and creator of the advertising that will debut on the Super Bowl -- is Merkley+Partners.  Founded in 1993 and headquartered in New York City, M+P has more than a half-billion dollars in billings and 255 employees.  It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Omnicom Group, Inc. (NYSE: OMC), a leading global marketing and communications company.  Meet the Teams and follow the Tweet Race on the Mercedes-Benz USA Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/#!/mercedesbenzusa?v=app_171625276202183) Get up to minute race news on Twitter by following the Race Director @MbtweetraceHQ. (http://twitter.com/MBtweetraceHQ)

SOURCE Mercedes-Benz USA