Strategy, creative concept, KADD-designed characters and an activation system built around quality culture in Mercedes-Benz gearbox production.
Client
Star Transmission & Star Assembly
Context
Daimler / Mercedes-Benz
Sites
Sebeș and Cugir · Alba
KADD role
Strategy, concept, illustration, rollout
Q — The Guardian of QualityReveal concept: the character becomes the campaign’s recognisable presence in the industrial environment.
THE STRATEGIC CHALLENGE
Final quality is the sum of decisions made by every person.
The employee is not merely a link. They are the final barrier between a defect and the customer.
In a complex industrial process, quality control cannot remain the responsibility of one function or of an end-of-line check. Every operation, handled part and observed deviation can influence the product reaching the vehicle.
KADD built the campaign around individual responsibility without using a punitive tone. The message needed to turn quality from an abstract rule into a concrete choice repeated in every shift and throughout the plant.
The creative premise — “Quality begins with you” — links individual action to customer trust in Mercedes-Benz and to the reputation of the entire production network.
The campaign translates responsibility for quality into a memorable sequence: notice what is wrong, ask for clarification and make the right decision before the issue moves forward.
01OBSERVE
02ASK
03DECIDE
01
People at the centre
Every employee is presented as an active contributor to the outcome, not merely the recipient of a rule.
02
Cause and effect
Technical examples connect a defect to its likely cause and to the effect it may create downstream.
03
Smart repetition
The same principle appears across different contexts and formats, creating familiarity without visual fatigue.
A THREE-STAGE TEASER
The character was built in front of the audience before being revealed.
Instead of an abrupt launch, the campaign created curiosity: first the blueprint, then the components, and finally the full character and its role in quality culture.
STAGE 1 · BLUEPRINTEverything starts with a plan.Blueprints and incomplete messages announce that “something new is being built”.STAGE 2 · COMPONENTSGood parts build a good whole.3D components appear in displays as the message shifts from the part to the responsibility of execution.STAGE 3 · REVEALThe Guardian of Quality enters the plant.Drawings, components and the complete character come together in a memorable launch moment.
AN ORIGINAL KADD CHARACTER
Q makes quality visible and memorable.
KADD conceived and illustrated the character as a curious, technical guardian close to people. Its form suggests precision and technology, while its expressions can communicate both approval of good work and warning about a risk.
The light signal and colour change support the message: blue for guidance and confirmation, red for alerts and deviations. Rules can therefore be repeated without becoming impersonal.
Technical and precise
Curious and observant
Approves and encourages
Warns without a punitive tone
Investigation: observing details that may generate a deviation.Colour code: confirmation, guidance and alert.Technical explanation: from tool and cause to the observable defect.
FROM MESSAGE TO EVIDENCE
“Details matter” becomes a technical demonstration.
The campaign does not stop at slogans. Examples use components, defects and real working situations to show the full path: what is observed, what may have caused it and what effect it creates in the final product.
Component displays, visual comparisons and screen infographics bring the message closer to employees’ daily work and make quality a concrete conversation.
ObserveThe visible sign, sound or process deviation.
UnderstandThe likely cause: handling, assembly, wear or a foreign object.
ActStop the issue from moving forward and request the right check.
MULTICHANNEL ROLLOUT
The campaign was designed as a system, not a one-off intervention.
The plan connects strategy and production with a teaser stage, a broad launch and new content throughout the year. Messages enter the real factory flow, where people work, move and make decisions.
PHASE 01Strategy and concept
Communication plan, ONE Q identity, character design and production testing.
PHASE 02Teasing
Blueprints, meshes, component displays and progressively revealed messages.
PHASE 03Launch
Character reveal and simultaneous expansion across key plant spaces.
PHASE 04Continuity
Quarterly content, dynamic messages and rotating formats to maintain attention.
mesh outdoorhall bannersposters and roll-upsmirror stickersaccess cardsvehicle brandinglightboxesTV screenscomponent displayslocal social media
Hall message: the big picture connects the component with the final vehicle.Mistake-proofing display: the employee compares and decides.Dynamic messages on screens and internal formats.The mirror turns the message into a direct address.The character explains risks through recognisable scenes.
THE DESIGN OUTCOME
A communication platform able to evolve with the plant.
ONE Q brings the strategic message, character, technical examples and distribution channels into one shared language. The system can accommodate new situations, defects and objectives without losing recognition.
The project’s value lies in continuity: the same principle travels from the plant façade to a mirror, employee access card, TV screen or a display with a real component.
01A clear central message: “Quality begins with you”.
02A proprietary character designed for education, confirmation and alerts.
03A staged launch turning curiosity into participation.
04A year-long rollout extensible across Sebeș and Cugir.
This case study presents the strategy, concept and implementation system contained in the project materials. It does not attribute quantitative performance indicators that were not documented in the supplied sources.
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