Skip to main content

Audi's Super Bowl secret

Marketers will pay about $2.7m to advertise in the upcoming Super Bowl and be part of the national zeitgeist for 30 seconds. I've long believed the sponsors which derive the biggest return are those that use the Super Bowl as part of a larger marketing initiative. (Thirty seconds just doesn't seem to last as long as it used to.)

Using the Super Bowl simply to run a new spot for an existing product is an exercise in brand vanity and a colossal waste of money. (Unless you're Bud or Pepsi where the main goal is to excite your bottlers.) However, it is a huge stage upon which to launch a new product or a new positioning.

Today I received an email from Audi that demonstrates this point. Audi offered me a sneak peek at its Super Bowl commercial and asserted that the advertising heralds a new and important chapter in the brand's history:

"Soon, a bold challenge to the tired old myths of luxury will be hitting millions of TV screens across the land. A new viewpoint. A new way of thinking. A new era.
On February 3rd, you will be sent an exclusive preview of the Audi Super Bowl commercial. You will have a chance to witness the moment that will set the nation talking.
The countdown has started. Don't miss the moment of truth.
Audi. Truth in Engineering."

Audi is clued into one of the secrets to a winning Super Bowl sponsorship. While the commercial has to be big and entertaining, what it says about the brand should be even bigger.

Based on the note I received from Audi, this announcement had better be awesome.
Labels:

Comments

Rudy said…
can you post the preview for us to see?
thanks a lot.
January 29, 2008 at 2:57 AM
Unknown said…
Wow, Audi is really building anticipation for a 30 sec commercial. I am completely curious to see what Audi is going to pull out of their magic hat. Perhaps affordability...

To listen to commentary about the Audi commercial and the rest, plus old classics, tune into Firebrand Monday, 11pm on ION TV with Carmen Electra and Terry Tate. More information is here: http://firebrandmonday.smnr.us/
January 30, 2008 at 8:21 PM
Anonymous said…
So David, now that it's out, what's your opinion of the spot? Did it live up to their own hype? Are they taking a step in the smart direction?
February 26, 2008 at 4:49 PM
Anonymous said…
Ok, I see that you'd answered my question in a later post, I'll try and keep up next time.
February 26, 2008 at 4:59 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What makes a premium brand premium?

I was thinking the other day about the DNA of premium brands . One thing is certain -- it's a relative idea. For example, Hyatt is not a premium brand if you're used to staying at a W or a Ritz Carlton. But if your vacations to date have been holed up in a Holiday Inn, then by all means a stay in a Hyatt is a premium experience. Another thing is certain -- a brand is considered premium only when we believe it is worth the price. And that's where we can dig deeper. Why are we willing to pay more for a product when there are others that provide the same service or function at a lesser price? I have spent a good part of my marketing career developing strategies and ideas for a wide range of  premium brands, including American Express, Sony, Callaway Golf, Hilton, Jaguar, Land Rover – even the Toyota Prius.  Through these experiences I have come to believe that a premium brand is built upon specific tangible and intangible attributes that give it a sense wort
12 comments
Read more

Super game. Dull ads

As a passionate Giants fan it is safe to say that I had a good time yesterday. But as an advertising professional I felt a bit underwhelmed by the caliber of the advertising . Many were entertaining. But few possessed that intangible Super Bowl-ness...big, pop-cultural, fun. Even fewer seemed to have anything relevant to say about the brand, such as the Planters "uni-brow" spot. I loved the Bridgestone "screaming animals" spot, but it would have been a much better spot for the Saab featured in the spot than the tires the car rode upon. As for Bud, good spots, but I've seen the dog and horse thing before. Tide's talking stain was funny, but did it have Super Bowl-ness? My fav? The Coke "balloon float" spot. It was classic Coke (for Coke Classic). Big. Entertaining. Unexpected twist. Utterly charming. And Charlie Brown finally won something. Coke is about smiles. And that spot was just that. The Audi spot that I wrote about last week liv
2 comments
Read more

Will this be your first recession rodeo?

In a previous article I referenced Mark Twain’s quote, “history doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.”    If true, then this is a poem about marketing in a recession by reflecting on lessons which I will attempt to freshen... Ok, no more poetry. I recently revisited the WikiBranding articles I wrote during the 2008-2009 meltdown that spotlighted best practices from a range of marketers.   It struck me that  those of us who guided businesses through The Great Recession can  share  lessons we learned with managers for whom this downturn might be their first.  (Bob Barrie, Stuart D’Rozario and I had just co-founded BD’M; learning how to navigate the recession was not a choice!)     Who decides if we’re in a recession?     Spoiler alert:  the consumer decides.   News stories about the economy lead us believe we’re in a recession – the “R-word” is having its moment.     Economists might say otherwise, based on their often used definition of a recession, i.e., two consecutive quarters
Post a Comment
Read more