Mercedes Tortures Us... and We Love Them For It.

What can be worse than the total agony of drooling over a gorgeous Mercedes C Class online? How about being restricted to only a minute of access and then being sent away. Forever. Yes, that's definitely worse.

The luxury automobile maker has just launched a European mini-site that allows you to explore the latest features of the C Class by clicking on a series of photos. All while your measly :60 is ticking away before your very eyes.

One could argue that limiting access is both pointless (at best) and builds a negative association with the brand (at worst). But what I see is a clever agency trying to build desire. By limiting access you have the potential to create a sense of longing in the end user. With too much access comes familiarity. Too much familiarity can breed boredom. By restricting users to a minute on the site, it entices participants to sign up to book a test drive. And that is the real hook the mini-site has to offer.

I like the idea. And this may be geared toward the specific market of the launch. Presumably in Spain, limited access to content generates feelings of desire for the unattainable. Funny, because here in the states, it's the $65K price tag that causes pain and longing.

[via Adverblog]