Although most automakers are bailing out of traditional media outlets due to the slumping U.S. market and overall decline in viewership numbers, Audi is keeping the ship on course and isn’t planning to cut its ad budget for 2009. In fact, the German automaker will even be filling in some of the voids left by other car makers.
According to Audi Chief Marketing Officer Scott Keogh, the brand will be spending its advertising bucks on wide reaching TV ads, as well as some corporate sponsorship deals – such as this year’s Academy Awards. “We’re going for a broader reach for our media to get Audi out of the best-kept-secret box,” Keogh told AdAge. General Motors decided to pull out as a sponsor for the Academy Awards earlier this year.
Audi already ran spots on this year’s Olympics as well last year’s Super Bowl – the first time Audi has advertised during the big game in 20 years. Keogh says to expect more from the same from Audi moving forward, with spots slated to run during Sunday Night Football and the season premiere of “The Office”.
The increased focus on mass advertising is twofold for Audi: The German automaker hopes that it will help people see the brand as luxury instead of near-luxury and it should also give Audi a boost on the way to its goal of selling 1.5 million vehicles annually by 2015.
08/28, 1:29 PM
posted by:
RaineMan
Why advertise a overpriced VW that the majority of Americans can’t even begin to think of affording? I’ve driven an A4… it was crap. Honestly the seats in my 89 Daytona are more comfortable and supportive… I think the Daytona is faster too.
08/28, 1:46 PM
posted by:
howsmydriving
Audi is very clever at marketing, hence their ability to sell cars of average (or even below-average) quality built on FWD VW platforms as luxury cars.
08/28, 2:14 PM
posted by:
nitinsharma1000
^^^Oh shut up you idiots.
08/28, 2:15 PM
posted by:
nitinsharma1000
What do you 2 drive.
08/28, 2:38 PM
posted by:
ktulu
R* ad at the bowl was classical.
Audis Rule
08/28, 3:04 PM
posted by:
RaineMan
Nitinsharma1000 –> Beater: 1989 Dodge Daytona C/S, 2.5 Turbo, stock-ish, 130,000+ miles on the clock and still ticking.
Toy: 2006 Chevy Cobalt SS, 2.0L Supercharged, not stock, 240whp… 35MPG.
Happy?
08/28, 3:28 PM
posted by:
6ix
Their interiors are marvelous, quite simply. Still the benchmark by which others in the industry are compared to. Their exteriors, in particular the A5 and R8, are quite nice.
Rainman…I remember those Daytona’s. Didn’t they have the same interior as the Lebaron that year? Whatever the case, they were quite fast and pretty sharp little cars during their heyday.
Are you sure the Cobalt still gets 35mpg with all those extra ponies? Surely not, but I bets it’s fun past 5000 rpm!
08/28, 4:13 PM
posted by:
inline6
Wow…this is the essence of a non-story. Not only is Audi’s ad budget the essence of minutia, a story about it staying the same is completely pointless.
This entry should have been titled: “Nothing to report”.
08/28, 4:27 PM
posted by:
RaineMan
6ix –> Yes, the Daytona is pretty much a 2-door Lebaron Hatch… lotsa similar parts. It’s still fast enough today to make the ricer boys in their Civics and Accords think twice. The Cobalt gets great mileage as long as you remember to stay out of the boost. It’s taken a lot of time behind the wheel and a fair deal of patience to learn how to drive it without moving the needle past the 0 line on the boost gauge… but it is possible. Cruising at 70MPH gets right at 35MPG. However a few WOT sprints through 2nd and 3rd will eat a quarter tank of gas like there is a V8 under the hood.
08/28, 4:30 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
Audi should advertise on Amtrak since they all look like a locomotive from the front.
08/28, 4:40 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
RaineMan: I remember torturing a brand new ‘88 Shelby Daytona on a test drive once. You could probably smell the overheated brakes and clutch in the next block, but boy did it go. Fortunately my sales guy wasn’t there when I got back allowing me to make a graceful exit.
08/28, 4:45 PM
posted by:
tzu13
Love ‘em or hate ‘em (I love ‘em), Audi still makes pretty amusing commercials.
08/29, 6:47 AM
posted by:
mikemacnn
Agree with tzu13
08/29, 10:09 AM
posted by:
RaineMan
If only their cars were as amusing as the commercials.