smart have been making über-compact and efficient cars for years now, but the launch of the new smart fortwo diesel this March really was the pièce de résistance. Boasting all of the features you’d associate with the petrol model – great looking, safe, compact, low emitting, etc – it had the added extra of being one of the most fuel efficient cars on the road. From one tiny 33 litre tank it can squeeze out some 621 miles. That’s 85.6 miles to the gallon (combined).

With a great story like this our approach to helping Mercedes-Benz launch the new smart diesel was to focus on dramatising what surprisingly brilliant efficiency it had.

As the TV ads went live we set up a YouTube channel offering bonus material for those searching for the ad online, added a whole new diesel section to the website and created an insert to go in regular automotive magazines letting you know how far you could travel on one tiny fuel tank.

Our online banners dramatised this efficiency point even further. Just type in your postcode and, with a bit of help from some google mash-up wizardry, you’re presented with a unique European destination up to 621 miles away from your house. And a scenic route to guide you there. Imagine going from Liverpool to Metz on one tiny tank? Or Metz to Liverpool of course.

Our DM pack followed the same thought. A compact flick-book made an animation retracing a trip from Luxembourg all the way home to Leeds. If you’re in the market for a compact car or have shown interest in our other comms then you may well have your very own copy already.

The final piece of the jigsaw was to create a banner campaign promoting a great tactical offer – the perfect antidote to today’s climate.

Good things really do come in small packages.