To keep the buzz going around the Lego Mercedes-Benz G 500 Professional set, Mercedes-Benz has collaborated with influencer Laura Butler to create a car review like no other.
Adopting Lego’s signature animation style, Butler turns into a Lego mini-figure, delivering her thoughts on the new G-Class series completely in brick form. The review covers everything from the car’s suspension to its horsepower in Butler’s familiar approach.
“The idea stemmed from our ongoing efforts to bridge connections with our global brand partners, and LEGO was a natural fit. With the G 500 LEGO set launching in the region, and some of our dealers now offering it in their showrooms, we saw an opportunity to create something fresh,” said Taniya Chandra, Head of Marketing, Mercedes-Benz Middle East.
The collaboration perfectly captures the zeitgeist of social media and influencer collaborations, boasting more than 6.5m views on Instagram Reels, boosting Mercedes-Benz’s engagement by 75 per cent alongside a 300 per cent surge in video views on its Instagram.
In terms of sentiment, Chandra claims that 90 per cent of comments “radiated positivity” and “delivered a positive impact on the brand image” overall.
Comments on the post said: ‘The collab we never knew we wanted!’, ‘This is beyond cool. As a massive petrol head and an even bigger LEGO fan, this made me smile!’ and more, therefore turning a product showcase into a communal moment.
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Low-cost, high success
Chandra further explains that the collaboration was relatively low-cost, compared to a big-budget production brand campaign. The brand leveraged the services of DriveTuned, a specialist in crafting spectacular 3D automotive assets and worlds to create the social media video.
“At Mercedes-Benz, we’re always looking for emerging creative talents who can bring fresh perspectives to our projects while keeping production costs efficient. It’s a win-win — we get innovative content at a lower cost, and at the same time, we help shine a spotlight on up-and-coming creatives,” Chandra said.
This proves that smart, digital-first storytelling can achieve big results on a lean budget. Mercedes-Benz also opted for organic reach over paid advertising, leveraging existing brand assets of the G 500, the Lego model and Butler’s authentic review style.
The campaign adopted a digital-first strategy, prioritising influencer-driven engagement and capitalising on the brand synergy between Mercedes-Benz and Lego.
“Partnering with LEGO meant we could split promotional efforts, doubling exposure without doubling costs,” Chandra explained. “When we compared the organic performance of this campaign to previous high-budget productions, the results spoke for themselves—production investment doesn’t always equal digital success.”
Mastering the algorithm
The Mercedes-Benz and Lego collaboration with Laura Butler was strategically designed to align with social media platform algorithms, ensuring maximum reach and engagement at a low cost.
The campaign relied on short-form video trends across Instagram Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts. It strategically focused on creating visually engaging content, paced quickly and paired with trending audio, to encourage organic discovery. The long-form video was structured carefully to retain viewers on YouTube, using detailed storytelling, thoughtfully crafted titles, and precise timestamps to improve search visibility.
“Instead of a one-off ad, we built a conversation, using carousels, and interactive stories to push engagement even further. Hashtags, cross-tagging, and SEO-driven captions ensured the content stayed visible beyond just its initial launch,” said Chandra.
She also explained that mastering the algorithm comes from understanding why people are on a certain social-media platform to begin with. “People don’t go on social media to watch ads — they go to connect, be entertained, and engage with content that feels real. That’s why highly polished productions often fall flat compared to authentic, unscripted moments,” she said.
The video reflects this with Butler’s playful take on the LEGO G 500—calling it a “debaba” (tank) and “veery kashkha” (super cool).
“These weren’t scripted lines; they were organic, culturally relevant, and made the content feel like an inside joke with her audience. Even the way the LEGO doors “clumsily” mimicked the G-Class’s signature slam became a shareable moment rather than a flaw,” Chandra said.
“Beyond engagement, algorithms reward this kind of content. Raw, authentic videos—especially on TikTok and Instagram—drive more interactions, which boosts visibility. When content feels genuine, it doesn’t get ignored like a traditional ad—it blends into the feed naturally, leading to better engagement and brand affinity,” she continued.
Key takeaways from the Mercedes-Benz social media collaboration
While the campaign delivered measurable results and struck an emotional chord around the region, there are important learnings it imparts as well.
“Platform-specific content matters,” Chandra said. Tapping into existing audiences from both Lego’s and Butler’s accounts significantly increased the visibility of the content, maxinmising organic discovery. “Instead of running traditional ads, we focused on organic influencer-driven content, which builds more credibility and interaction than a standard paid campaign,” Chandra explained.
The brand also learned the advantages of shifting from passive advertising to interactive engagement. Using polls, Q&As and staying active in the comment section turned the campaign into a two-way conversation, rather than just a one-time promotion. “SEO-friendly captions, strategic hashtags, and cross-platform content repurposing further extended its lifespan, keeping the momentum going long after the initial launch,” Chandra said.
Overall, the collaboration proved that a mix of creativity, collaboration, and platform optimization can deliver high-impact results—without a high-budget spend.
