• by Karl Greenberg , November 29, 2010

Audi of America has signed on to advertise during the national broadcast of Super Bowl XLV next year. This will be the fourth year in a row the Herndon, VA automaker advertises during the football game.

The company will run a :30 in the first quarter of the game in the third position of the first break after kick-off.  San Francisco-based Venables Bell & Partners handles.

"Since Audi began advertising in the Super Bowl nearly four years ago, we've achieved record levels of awareness and showroom traffic with national consideration numbers showing significant spikes post game. The Super Bowl is one of the few places a brand can reach so many people at once; it's truly a cultural phenomenon," said Scott Keogh, CMO, Audi of America, in a statement.  "The success we've experienced with Super Bowl is clearly translating to growth, as we're on track this year to deliver the best U.S. sales in history."

Last year the automaker promoted its A3 diesel with an ad featuring a riff on Cheap Trick's "Dream Police" ("Green Police"). The year before was a take on action movie chase scenes with Jason Statham (now the embodiment of disaster for Allstate) who escapes through history in one lux car after another until he gets away in an Audi. Before that the company promoted the then-new R8 roadster in a "The Godfather" takeoff, where there's the oil-leaking grill of an old-school luxury car at the foot of the don's bed instead of the severed head of a horse.