Arresting Audi Commercials
The best Audi commercials all have a common thread; an arresting narrative that effectively communicates a focused consumer benefit or a visually focused storytelling enactment that engenders brand kinship.
1. Audi S7, Vampire Party
Advertising Agency: Venables Bell & Partners, San Francisco, USA
Directed by Matthijs Van Heijningen, the commercial for the 2012 Super Bowl American Football Championships was released online prior to the games and motivated 4 million YouTube views.
The story is single-mindedly focused on Audi’s LED Headlight Technology and is a very effective dramatisation of the ‘clear as daylight’ consumer benefit that makes for highly entertaining viewing.
2. Audi S6, Prom Night
Advertising Agency: Venables Bell & Partners, San Francisco, USA
The Guard Brothers directed this story about a teenager’s unhappiness about attending his High School Prom Night without a partner.
His spirits however, are uplifted by his understanding Dad who lends him his Audi S6 for the night. He sets off to the Prom with renewed confidence and a night of adventure.
Planned for airing during the 2013 Super Bowl American Football Championship’s live broadcast, the agency crowdsourced three potential versions of the story enabling fans to vote on their preferred version to be revealed to the 110 million Super Bowl TV viewers.
The alternate story options motivated 4,2 million YouTube views in the 24 hours prior to the start of the championship playoff.
Loren Angelo, GM of Marketing for Audi, described the commercial as: “A celebration of emotion, individuality and bravery in a way that’s not only entertaining, but also relatable”.
The soundtrack song is “Can’t Win ‘Em All” sung by Hanni El Khatib.
3. Audi A6, The Drones
Advertising Agency: Venables Bell & Partners, San Francisco, USA
Starring menacing drones, Dante Ariola skillfully directed this fun parody of Alfred Hitchcock’s classic horror movie ‘The Birds’ about a series of sudden, unexplained violent bird attacks on the people of Bodega Bay, California.
There’s an amusing tongue-in-cheek scene of the Audi driver telling Google Search to direct him to Bodega Bay.
Elias Arts created the music and song featured in the soundtrack.
4. Audi, The Comeback
Advertising Agency: Razorfish, Berlin
A Tyrannosaurus Rex is the surprising focus of this touching, metaphoric narrative for Audi Piloted Driving. The commercial, directed by Stephan Wever, was made for the web and loved by many for telling a story instead of just showing a car.
The finding of joy after the depressingly long humiliation the T-Rex had to endure because of his short arms was an online hit that rapidly went viral.
5. Audi A8, Spider-Man Driving Test
Advertising Agency: Muhtayzik Hoffer, San Francisco
As a preview teaser to their ‘Spider-Man Homecoming’ movie Marvel Entertainment teamed up with Audi for a commercial featuring actor Tom Holland who plays the role of Peter Parker the Spider-Man.
Renowned comedy Director Jody Hill crafted an engaging story that is very effective in entertainingly highlighting the Audi A8’s salient selling features.
6. Audi S Line, The Coup
Advertising Agency: Thjnk Berlin, Germany
Directed by famed Hollywood director Paul WS Anderson, this action-packed story was filmed on location in Johannesburg, South Africa. Great direction and skillful editing makes this epic adventure a thrilling viewing experience.
Abseiling from a Chinook Helicopter, thieves hijack a moving car transporter carrying Audi’s latest S Line models. Thanks to the S Line online tracking systems police are able to track the coup perpetrators’ destination with their hijacked payload to a location in an aircraft hanger.
7. Audi, Clown Proof
Advertising Agency: Bartle Bogle Hegarty (BBH), London, UK
Ringan Ledwidge with his storytelling expertise skillfully directed this insightful, amusing and visually metaphoric story based on a sombre human truth that one’s automotive safety is so often compromised by the ‘clownish’ ‘behaviour of some drivers who share the roads we travel on.
The commercial is a very effective communication of the contrasting emotions of bemusement and fearful awareness of other drivers that all car owners can easily relate to.
The clown metaphor is fun to watch but also compelling to seriously considering Audi’s safety feature benefits that help make their vehicles ‘clown-proof’.
The soundtrack is a fitting version of Stephen Sondheim’s “Send In The Clowns” by Faultline and Lisa Hannigan.
8. Audi R8, Commander
Advertising Agency: Venables Bell & Partners, San Francisco, USA
Director Craig Gillepsie brings this human story to life for Audi R8’s debut commercial appearance during the 2016 American Super Bowl Football Championship’s live TV broadcast.
The story centers on a retired astronaut who misses his ‘glory years’ so deeply that he has lost his appetite for life.
However, when his son introduces him to the 205-mph Audi R8 V10 plus that Audi claims to be the fastest and most powerful Audi of all time, the flame of exploratory adventure and discovery is rekindled within him.
The soundtrack features David Bowie’s ‘Starman’.
9. Audi Technology, Escape
Advertising Agency: Bartle Bogel Hegarty (BBH), London, UK
Directed by Matthijs Van Heijningen this spectacular and amusing martial arts story was filmed on location in Bangkok, Thailand.
The commercial is a very watchable, dramatised demonstration of the luxury interiors and advanced technology of Audi’s new A6, A7 and A8 models.
10. Audi E-Tron GT, Cashew
Advertising Agency: Venables Bell & Partners, San Francisco, USA
Ringan Ledwidge directed this nostalgic story with a surprising twist for Audi’s fully electric sedan debut commercial that was aired during the live TV broadcast of the 2019 Super Bowl Football Championships to great viewer acclaim.
Hundreds of messages on Twitter proclaimed ‘Cashew’ to be the event’s best TV commercial offering.
The soundtrack song ‘Spirit in The Sky’ is by Norman Greenbaum.