A6 Commercial: “Golden Camera” for Dustin Hoffman

The editorial team of the German magazine “HÖRZU” has commended Hollywood star Dustin Hoffman for his appearance in the Audi A6 commercial “Just like your mother”, a homage to the classic movie “The Graduate”. At a ceremony held on Wednesday evening in Berlin, the actor was presented with the coveted “Golden Camera” film and television prize in the category “Best commercial starring a celebrity” for his appearance in the Audi ad. Hoffman was presented with the prize by Ralph Weyler, Member of the Board of AUDI AG for Marketing and Sales.

“We are extremely proud that Dustin Hoffman agreed to film a sequel to his wonderful movie ‘The Graduate’ for Audi,” said Weyler. It was above all thanks to Hoffman that the commercial was such a success for Audi last year and a real gain for the world of advertising.

Apropos success for Audi: since it was launched, the new A6 has raced from one success to the next with customers and the media alike, and has been inun-dated with awards. Examples include the “Golden Steering Wheel” (Bild am Sonntag), the “Yellow Angel” (ADAC Motorwelt) and first place in the readers’ poll conducted by “auto motor und sport” (see also list at the end of this text).

This was already the second “Golden Camera” for Dustin Hoffman. The ceremony for the 40th Golden Camera Awards was held at the publishing house of Axel Springer AG in Berlin. Thomas Gottschalk hosted the anniversary gala before an audience of some 800 guests, including stars such as Goldie Hawn, Tina Turner, Bruce Willis and Jerry Lewis, all of whom also received a “Golden Camera”. The German TV channel ZDF will broadcast the award ceremony on Sunday, 13 February at 9.45 p.m.

The A6 commercial was the idea of the Frankfurt advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi. It had already caught the attention of the creative minds and marketing experts at the 51st advertising festival in Cannes last June when it was awarded the Silver Lion in the category “Cars”. The Cannes Lions are considered the most coveted award and are seen as a kind of “Oscar” in the advertising industry.

The A6 film starring the world-famous actor had already attracted the attention of countless television viewers and the media all over Europe: in homage to the movie classic “The Graduate”, the double Oscar winner this time saves his daughter from marrying the wrong man and drives off with her in the new Audi A6. A 40-second version of the film started showing on 12 March 2004 on all relevant German TV channels and was part of the Audi A6 campaign “Following your own rules”.

Hoffman, who also once considered doing a sequel to “The Graduate” himself, liked the script immediately. “I really enjoyed being involved in this project. The idea was successfully realised thanks to a great script, a very professional team and a great car,” says Hoffman. The film was shot by Hollywood director Michael Bay who, with titles such as “Pearl Harbor”, The Rock” and “Armageddon”, is one of the big names in the American movie industry. The music is performed by the “Lemonheads” and is a modern cover version of the Simon & Garfunkel classic “Mrs. Robinson”, which was originally written for “The Graduate” and became a worldwide hit. (StudioCanal Image, France, which holds the rights to the movie, had granted permission to shoot the commercial.)

The Audi A6 – a car worthy of distinction

Although the new Audi A6 only played a supporting role in the film that secured a “Golden Camera” for Dustin Hoffman, this award ultimately confirms that the Audi A6 is an excellent car, and one worthy of distinction. Here are some examples from the long list of awards that the A6 has received:

2004

2005