• by Karl Greenberg , April 6, 2007

Next week, Audi will launch a new brand campaign that is also a campaign for its 2008 Audi TT roadster. CMO Scott Keogh says the effort will be far more emotional than past campaigns, much more about lifting the profile of the Audi brand, and also more interactive than TV-based. Audi replaced long-time agency McKinney-Silver with San Francisco-based Venables, Bell & Partners on its $70 million account.

Keogh says the TT--which he says will constitute about 4,000-5,000 units this year--will be the first beneficiary of a new brand-focused campaign positioning the brand to compete against the likes of BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus. The new strategy, he says, "Starts at the top of the brand," with an effort to define Audi in a new, more emotional way.

"Our products are stronger than the brand; we need to get brand and product in alignment," he says. "Most [auto brands] are inverted: the brand is stronger than the reality of the products."

Indeed, Audi inhabits what might be called a second tier of luxury car brands, sharing the space with brands like Volvo and Infiniti. Keogh says Audi is intent on climbing into the first tier, both through more aggressive marketing and through more emotional advertising. He says that means increasing the less intellectual ingredients of what he calls "purchase confirmation," the reasons and emotions one musters to justify a purchase. Keogh says Audi consumers tend to be highly educated and rather analytical in their reasoning around spending for an Audi.

"Audi has loyal customers who know an awful lot about cars and technology, so their purchase reasons are not 'look at me.' It's more understated," he says. "More inwardly focused," and--he adds--based on reasoned consideration of vehicle features. He says tier-one competitors Mercedes, Lexus and BMW are more emotional brands, with buyers who may take a shortcut to purchase based on brand reputation versus specific product attributes. "And I think where we need to move is toward getting a more external confirmation of the brand among consumers, and to do that we have to be less understated and less intellectual in our communication--bolder and a little more brash," he says.

"I think we can move this brand in a more energetic and popular direction and not lose ourselves."

He also says the new campaign will be more interactive. "Brands you recognize--Starbucks and Google, for instance--the top ten brands were not built through TV advertising."

The company posted its best March to date--with sales driven by its new SUV, the Q7, constituting 2,075 units. March sales were up 14.7% over the previous year. Year to date, Audi has sold 21,028 vehicles--a 17.6% increase over year ago figures.