Mercedes-Benz is deliberately holding back from chasing every new media trend, said the automaker's U.S. marketing chief said. Melody Lee, chief marketing officer of Mercedes-Benz USA, told R
Mercedes-Benz is deliberately holding back from chasing every new media trend, said the automaker's U.S. marketing chief said.
Melody Lee, chief marketing officer of Mercedes-Benz USA, told Roundtable CEO and publisher James Heckman at the Cannes Lions festival that the company's age and history let it stay selective in a fragmented media landscape.
"We don't need to be the first to adopt. We can be a fast follower as something is proven as the concept comes out," Lee said. "But we are very, very careful about that standard that we bear because of the fact that we invented the automobile and that we're a hundred and forty years old this year."
▶ Watch the full interview on Roundtable
Mercedes-Benz traces its founding to 1886, when Carl Benz patented the first automobile. In November 2025, the company laid out a plan to reach 400,000 annual U.S. sales by 2030, a target Lee called "a non-negotiable."
Heckman asked how the brand competes with rivals such as Cadillac, Audi and BMW while telling its story as, in his words, "so many people are moving to social in a disruptive, crazy, chaotic environment." Lee said the answer is patience.
"We look at it through the lens of longevity," she said, pointing to the company's sponsorship of golf's Masters Tournament, its Formula 1 team, and a placement in the sequel to "The Devil Wears Prada."
The goal, she said, is not just the sale but how the buyer feels afterward.
"Our job as marketers is not only to get you to buy the car, but to actually make you feel really good about buying the car afterwards. We want to give you that retroactive justification that you did the right thing for yourself, the smart thing for yourself, the best thing for your family," Lee said.
▶ Watch the full interview on Roundtable
She said Mercedes-Benz markets "never for noise, never for buzz, never following a trend," and described its approach as prioritizing depth over reach.
"Our preference at Mercedes-Benz is to try to go as deep as we can, not as wide as we can," she said.
Asked what she would count as success beyond the sales target, Lee said the aim is to keep Mercedes-Benz desirable across generations.
"The boomer or the Gen Xer who wants our car is buying it, but that the Gen Zer or the Gen Alpha coming up has that poster of the car on his or her wall and dreams about buying it in 40 years," she said. "Keep the brand strong, sell the cars that we need to sell, leave it in a better place when I'm gone."
Asked what she wants consumers to associate with the brand, Lee kept it to one idea.
"Mercedes-Benz stands for the very best. And when we say the very best, we're not just talking about our products. We're talking about you as the customer," she said. "You should buy the car not only because it's the best, but because you are the best."
