Tuesday 29th January 2013

Time For Tea? Is Audi having a laugh?

Dust off those 'not sure if serious' Joker images for this one

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Now, we know Audi can, on occasion, take itself a little seriously at times. And, as we reported last week, attempts at humour (that little line about choosing not to participate in the global recession) don't always quite work.

What, you don't spend time caressing your car?

So, is this video a subtle attempt at poking fun at its serious image? Or just a slightly cringeworthy corporate promo? We have a serious Belgian called Jeremy with sharp cheekbones and even sharper creases on his suit drily quoting numbers, stats and technical info about the A1 Quattro. Whilst caressing it, rather too fondly for our comfort. Get a room and all that. Oh, he already did.

Meanwhile on a mountain somewhere Audi jolly factory driver Filipe Albuquerque, who may or may not be made up, giggles and slithers up a snowy mountain road in said A1 Quattro.

So is this Audi poking fun at itself and saying, hey, you think we're immaculately presented but a bit dull like Jeremy but really we're all Filipes at heart and all we love to do really is hoon about going sideways in the snow? Or is it a carefully honed corporate ying and yang message; the 'business on top, party at the back' mullet of viral marketing?

Audi's marketing strategy, expressed as a haircut

We're about as clear on that as Harris was the A1 Quattro's talents after he had a similarly slidey drive in the snow in Sweden. Maybe they're struggling to find the 333 buyers for the £40K hot hatch or something. Indeed, four out of the 19 allocated to the UK are currently in the PH classifieds.

Whatever the thinking, it does look like a fun car to drive in the snow. Which has now melted.

 

[zebedee]

He isn't made up, he just won the GT class in an R8 at the Daytona 24 hours, quite an achievement really.

[zebedee]

I guess this is just a consistent Audi marketing strategy. We'll convince you our cars are very well made and of the highest possible standard but that (if you believe us) they are also great fun and really fast and can do things that other manufacturers cars don't.

Personally I think it is great that they spend so much money on motorsport to back that image up, but I would rather believe the road tests I read which say that most recent Audis miss the driver's car target by quite a large margin.