Henry Rollins has recently been in the country to promote Mercedes-Benz’s first prestige ute, The X-Class. Henry Rollins is a punk rock musician, actor and TV personality. He is also a regular columnist for Rolling Stone. Mercedes-Benz have hired him to promote their first prestige ute, The X Class, in Australia. We’re quite excited about the X Class, and have been following the campaign closely. So this week, we decided to blog about it!
The Rollins Band in 1992
The X Class in Australia
The campaign is called “Tough Conversations”. In it, Henry Rollins travelled around the country in the X Class, talking to everyday Australians about what “toughness” means to them. The idea is to brand the X Class not just as a prestige Mercedes-Benz vehicle, but a rugged, hard-working ute as well.
The company have their work cut out for them. Although the X Class is a powerful vehicle, it’ll be tough to convince everyday Australians that the X Class is a everyday, workers’ car. Mercedes-Benz make powerful, fast vehicles, sure.Their ute, however, is competing against the rough-and-ready Ford Ranger and Toyota Hilux. These utes are nowhere near as luxurious or as prestige as Mercedes-Benz, but that’s the point. They are hard and rough and their owners aren’t afraid to bash them about a bit.
Mercedes-Benz and Henry Rollins
Rollins was big in the post-punk scene of the 80s and 90s. In terms of modern machismo, it makes sense Mercedes-Benz went with someone like him. Rollins embodies the macho, strong and hard requirements of a ute, and the sensitivities and comforts of a well-to-do modern man. He was a punk, tattooed and stage-spitting and violent, but he also writes for a magazine, and does spoken-word poetry. He blends the roughness of the ute with the smoothness of Mercedes-Benz. (He may even wear the official Mercedes-Benz perfume!)
Here’s hoping that with a musician teaming up with Mercedes-Benz, we might see the return of the Mercedes-Benz Mixed Tape soon! Until then, you can follow Rollins’ adventures through Australia here and read more about the X-Class here.
Mercedes-Benz and Volks Affair
Volks Affair are an independent Mercedes-Benz service centre in South Melbourne. We are one of the few independent workshops with an ARCTick, meaning we also service car air conditioning. For all your Mercedes-Benz services and repairs, contact us today. And for more Mercedes-Benz news, be sure to check our blog regularly.