The Signs are Everywhere, and They Say Audi, Audi, Audi!
11 October 1999
The Signs are Everywhere, and They Say Audi, Audi, Audi! McKinney & Silver Makes Road Signs the Attraction in New Campaign for
A6 4.2, A6 2.7 T, A4 and S4
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Oct. 11 -- For the new millennium, Audi
of America, Inc. is inviting fellow motorists to look at road signs in a new
light. A light that sublimely and supremely reflects the confidence and
spirit of today's Audi.
"After five years of consecutive double digit growth, Audi is moving up
and definitely out," said Len Hunt, Audi VP, marketing. "With the blast-to-
drive A4 line, now including the spectacular S4; the always beautiful and now
brawny A6 range; the revolutionary A8 and groundbreaking TT, it's never been
clearer that we plan to stay hot. Our partners at McKinney & Silver have
created ads that break through the clutter with dynamic broadcast and print.
But above all, it's the cars we put on the road. It's Audi for 2000. And the
signs couldn't be any clearer. It's Audi all the way."
The campaign is comprised of television, magazine, point of sale and
newspaper executions, which will run throughout the remainder of 1999 and into
2000. The five television spots break nationally on Monday, October 11 on
ABC's "Monday Night Football" and continue airing on spot TV and network
cable. Print ads will appear in November in newspapers nationwide and
magazines, which include ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST, CONDE NAST TRAVELER, BON
APPETIT, FORBES, FORTUNE, FOOD AND WINE and VANITY FAIR, among others.
With the launch of the new campaign, Audi and McKinney & Silver in
partnership with USWeb/CKS in New York will also introduce on October 11 a new
redesigned web site on the World Wide Web at http://www.audiusa.com .
"Because the Audi brand is truly individualistic, we have to speak as an
individual and speak in a language other car manufacturers aren't using," said
McKinney & Silver copywriter Christopher Wilson. "That means confident, self
assured and not brash. Using something as ordinary as every day road signs
and then attaching a deeper message to each of them gave us a unique way to
speak to Audi customers and prospective customers alike."
According to Wilson, the five TV spots feature Audi owners enjoying their
cars and their passengers (most definitely dogs accepted) as they reflect on
their personal values that appear as road signs on their journey. "It's no
coincidence these signs and the messages they convey coincide with Audi's
brand values," adds Wilson.
In one spot, a middle-aged man drives his A6 4.2 on a scenic back road and
ponders his future. "I'm not going to become one of those old men who sit in
lawn chairs on driveways and regret adventures I never took," he reflects. A
"DO NOT PASS" street sign appears. A graphic tagline with the word "JOY"
immediately follows.
In another spot, a father and his young daughter enjoy each other's
company and their A6 Avant. "I keep thinking if I drive real slow and I take
a lot of the back roads, maybe I can hold on to my daughter just a bit
longer," the father reflects. A "TAKE EVERY" graphic appears with the street
sign "DETOUR".
In a third spot for the Audi A4, all eyes will be on the passenger rather
than the driver. "In my car, my dog is no longer fat and slow," affirms the
driver of his beautiful, bulky yellow Labrador Retriever. "He is a god. A
fast, beautiful, drooling god." A "SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT" sign appears.
The graphic tagline with the message "YOU GO LEFT" immediately follows.
Featuring 17 print ads for national magazine and newspapers, the campaign
continues the road sign theme.
In one magazine ad, an A6 2.7 T travels under the Brooklyn Bridge. The
headline reads "MAKE YOUR HEART GO" with a "BUMP" road sign beneath.
In a newspaper ad for the A6 Avant, "TAKE EVERY" is the headline for the
road sign "DETOUR".
The campaign also includes various collateral materials including posters,
banners and brochures.
Directed by Robert Logevall, the television spots were produced by Bruce
Dowad & Associates of Los Angeles with Joni Madison as agency producer.
McKinney & Silver art director Ralph Watson teamed with copywriter Christopher
Wilson.
Wilson also served as copywriter for the print campaign with Bob Ranew as
art director and Jim Erikson of Jim Erickson Productions as photographer. Ben
Barwick served as print production manager.
Audi's history in America dates to 1969, when the brand was introduced to
the U.S. market. Always an innovator, Audi offered a range of front-wheel
drive sedans to a market which then scarcely understood the advantages of this
now well established concept.
Innovation and leading edge technology have long been driving forces
behind Audi's success around the globe. With a history dating back to 1899,
Audi is celebrating 100 years of automotive tradition in 1999. This rich
heritage includes sales and racing successes in both automobiles and
motorcycles. The four rings, an unmistakable Audi trademark, signify the four
firms which joined in 1932 to form Auto Union AG-predecessor to today's Audi.
Audi's current business in America is highlighted by its remarkable rate
of growth during the last five years. September sales results in the U.S.
were up 60.2 percent over the same month last year (5,912 vs. 3,691). These
results mark Audi's best September ever and its best year to date since 1985
with a 48.7 percent increase over the same period last year (1999 year to date
sales over 46, 746 versus 32,305 last year).
The network of 258 U.S. Audi dealers currently offers a line of luxury
cars which includes the blast to drive A4 sedan and Avant models; the perfect
union of power and control - the S4, the birth of Audi's sports car tradition,
the TT Coupe; the broad range of daring A6 sedans (the A6 2.8 with 200
horsepower, the A6 2.7 T with 250 horsepower and the A6 4.2 with 300
horsepower). The versatile A6 Avant; and the dynamically elegant Audi A8 4.2
quattro, the first and only member of the premium luxury class to receive the
government's dual five star rating, for both driver and front passenger
safely.
Audi of America is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and markets a
line of luxury cars built in plants in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, Germany and
Gyor, Hungary. The parent company, Audi AG, is headquartered in Ingolstadt,
Germany.
McKinney & Silver is one of America's standard bearer advertising agencies
for creative excellence. Founded in 1969 in Raleigh, North Carolina, the
agency was one of the first winners of the coveted Stephen Kelly Awards for
excellence in magazine advertising. The agency's client list includes, among
others, Audi of America, Aetna U.S. Healthcare, IBM, Sunkist, Bacardi-Martini
USA, Fieldcrest Cannon and Ben & Jerry's Homemade.
