First new U.S. campaign in five years features blink-of-an-eye commercials
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., May 7, 2007 Audi of America, Inc. today announced a new multimedia advertising
campaign, the companys first all-new campaign since 2002. The U.S. campaign will feature print, online and
broadcast elements and includes two 0.2-second-long embedded commercials.
The campaign will focus on several Audi models, including the all new TT, A4 sedan, the Audi Q7 SUV and A6
sedan. Though creative execution varies within the campaign, the theme that unites each ad is the companys
new U.S. tagline Truth in Engineering. It represents the notion that Audis superior design, history and
engineering provide the most authentic, truthful driving experience in the luxury segment.
Todays consumers are principally concerned with honesty, authenticity and substance in the products and
brands with which they engage, said Scott Keogh, Chief Marketing Officer, Audi of America. Audis rich
automotive history uniquely positions us to deliver on these requirements. This new campaigns focus on Truth
in Engineering is our way of demonstrating that ability to the marketplace.
At the end of 2006, the luxury auto maker hired San Francisco-based Venables Bell & Partners as the new
creative agency of record and Denver-based Factory Design Labs as the new interactive agency of record.
The two agencies were tasked with developing a new brand campaign that popularizes the Audi name and
drives awareness of the expanding product line in the United States. Venables Bell & Partners was
responsible for the broadcast and print elements, and Factory Design Labs developed the online elements,
including the TT consumer Web site.
The Truth in Engineering campaign will kick off with traditional print, broadcast and on-line components, and
it also features a host of non-traditional elements, with more to come this year. The first spots will be two TT
teaser broadcast TV ads that launch on May 7. These spots will be among the first in the industry to
capitalize on widely proliferating DVR technology. When watched live, these ads will appear to have a 0.2
second flash of subliminal imagery embedded basically a blink of an eye. However, consumers who take the
time to rewind and advance the ads frame-by-frame will be rewarded by a full commercial. These executions
emphasize the new Audi TTs industry-leading S-tronic shift-speed. Starting May 7, consumers also can view
and replay these ads on the web at www.TT-Truth.com. The teaser ads will be followed by a full 30-second
TT launch ad the following week.
Audi customers are among the most highly-educated and technologically adept in the world, said Keogh.
The campaign targets the types of consumers that choose to interact with specific media. From a newspaper
at the breakfast table to the opportunities provided by DVR technology and the power of the online community,
this campaign will bring the globally-accepted idea of Audi as the premium automotive luxury brand directly to
the forefront of popular American consciousness.
The new campaign comes on the heels of record growth for Audi of America in 2006 and the first quarter of
2007. Under the leadership of Executive Vice President Johan de Nysschen, and with exceptional sales of the
A4 sedan and positive response to the new Audi Q7, the company posted an 8.5-percent increase in
year-over-year sales in 2006. The companys 2007 sales are up 15.2 percent through April. By 2011, the
luxury automaker will invest $15 billion to expand its product portfolio. The advertising campaign is the next
step in Audis emergence as a leading force in the American luxury automotive market.
For the discerning luxury consumer, we believe that our product line is among the best in the world, and the
exceptional American response to everything from the A4 to the R8 has proven that, said de Nysschen. The
new Audi brand campaign is our commitment to giving our extraordinary product offerings a voice of equal
stature.