The audience for this is expected to be knowledgeable
enough to recognize the references to our culture and smart enough to see that it is poking
fun at the standards instead of trying to comply with them. There is also a hidden message
that is very difficult to decipher, the a large part of the audience is supposed to be expected to
solve it, or at least enjoy the lexical games.

Step 1, repetitions. The phrases “all-new GLK” is repeated twice, as well as “GLK”
being repeated an additional time. The word size is repeated twice, as is the phrase “great
engineering.” The word performance is also used twice. The photo of the car itself seems to
have only about 3 colors, a silver which varies in lightness, a white in the lights and the
brightest parts of the silver, and black in the tires and windshield and grill. The text portion is
only white and black, and the background is a gradient of gray which approximates the overall
color of the car. The background in the photo, although it is sky, is still silver as are the struts
of the bridge and the road.
Step 2, strands. There are a number of words and phrases associated with power, in a
very raw way: rugged, off-road, outrunning, powerful, torque, horsepower, V-6 engine, and
even ‘weightier competition’ and ‘twice its size’ somewhat. Another strand is words
associated with proof, such as tested, performance, capable, proof, performance, and
engineering as well as listing four quantitative features of the vehicle. Compact, sleek, and
fuel-efficient are all traits that are becoming more valuable in the modern world. The
emphasis of the newness of the design goes along with this strand. The color scheme of
black white and silver has a very metallic and futuristic feel, in a way.
A visual strand is angled well-defined lines. The car is at an angle, as is the bridge it is
on. The struts of the bridge form clear lines, as do many features of the car (the grill, lines
down the sides, the roof rack etc.). Even the Mercedes-Benz symbol is made up of angled
lines. Somewhat paradoxically, a less prominent strand is roundness and circles: the circle
around the symbol, the shapes of all the lights, and almost all the lines on the car come
together not in sharp point but in rounded edges. The word sleek goes along with this strand.
Step 3, binaries. The defined angled lines strand and the rounded strands are very
opposing. The white and black are binaries. The ad is almost divided into two sections; the
upper section with words and the lower section with a picture. These are quite different.
There is also a dichotomy between the modern components and the components more
related to power and toughness. In the photo the car is clearly distinguishable from its
background; it is very shiny and in crisp focus whereas the background is all a blur.
