Audi asks public to make its next TV commercial

AUDI will give the general public the chance to direct its next television commercial as part of an Australian-first brand advertising campaign.

Launched this week, the ‘Australia: Land of quattro’ campaign focuses on what Audi perceives as its advantage and unique selling point in the all-wheel-drive market.

Audi has offered quattro consistently on every model (bar the VW Polo-based A1 and its short-lived aluminium-bodied A2 predecessor) since the original Ur-Quattro Coupe turbo 4WD flagship hit the rally circuit in 1980.

The $3 million undertaking was filmed here in league with local agency Holler, but is a local spin on an international format already featured in several European countries.

The centrepiece of the campaign is a television commercial featuring a Q5 SUV - Audi’s top-selling model here - tackling a number of recognisable Australian settings. Audi has bought airtime on several top-rating programs during the ad’s six-week run.

However, in a bid to more actively engage the public, Audi has made B-roll footage taken with both traditional and compact video cameras, and even a spare wheel-sized remote control miniature helicopter, available on a new microsite.

Users are encouraged to chop and change to raw footage and create an advertisement of their own, with the winner to broadcast in prime time on September 29. According to Audi, the footage encompasses 1.2 billion possible combinations.

As well getting a credit on the screen advertisement, the winner will be flown to Austria for a crack at Audi’s ice-driving experience and will visit the company’s Ingostadt headquarters.

"This is an Australian campaign, for the Australian lifestyle and demonstrates that quattro is synonymous with the land and the lifestyles Australians lead.

We’ve designed it to build emotion and establish a strong brand connection," said Audi Australia general manager of marketing Kevin Goult.

The big-budget campaign, which comes months after Audi launched a record $5 million undertaking on its new A3 small car, that also extends to print ads, city-specific billboards, a tie-in with National Geographic, and the construction of special indoor ‘tracks’ to test cars on in Melbourne and Sydney.