After decades of winning over Chinese buyers with its German engineering, Mercedes-Benz Group AG took the humbling step last fall of partnering with fast-food chain McDonald’s to hype its newest car.
In the “So Mc-Benz” campaign, Mercedes allowed a cheeseburger figurine to take the spot of its traditional three-pointed star on the all-electric CLA, a sedan it hoped would stop sales from sliding in the world’s largest car market. The ads were supposed to make the vehicle popular with China’s young and hip.
