This gives me no pleasure … no pleasure at all … but have a look at this awful, Awful, AWFUL ad for Audi by [I think] my old colleagues at Y&R Singapore / Asia* …
I know it’s nearly Christmas and we’re supposed to be full of love and consideration, but how completely and utterly shit is that eh!?
I’ll tell you … it’s absolutely completely and utterly pants.
I have always loved Audi – and whilst much of that has been because of their product – a big part has been down to BBH’s consistently great ads, all developed with understated elegance and style… and yet now all that lies in a tattered heap because some local agency felt it appropriate to develop an ad [I can’t say an idea] that has all the subtly of Arnie with all the grace of errrrrm, Arnie.
Of course the client should has to take some responsibility for letting it out – however knowing the car industry, I would imagine they had an incredibly short leadtime and so if they didn’t run it, they wouldn’t have anything to run at all – but you know what, I think they should of run nothing at all because this is simply awful.
Apart from some of the worst art direction I think I’ve ever seen [one car looks 6 miles wide whereas the other resembles an automobile for dwarves] the whole premise is just bollocks.
Oh I know what it’s supposed to be [“It’s in the stars you’re going to own an Audi”] but for a brand that has so much to offer – it’s unbelievably tragic that they went with the sort of shit visual pun that you would expect in a 5th year junior school class.
The thing that is even more horrifying is that the Audi brand isn’t as well known in Asia as you would think – and so whilst I am not suggesting an ad detailing the brands heritage – I do believe there are a shitload of interesting and motivational brand stories that could have been used rather than some dot-to-dot graphic that makes no sense and does the brand a huge injustice.
I feel like sending this to Hegarty just to see if I can hear his scream from the other side of the planet – however instead I will simply say this …
Audi, you are a great brand … a brand that is unique amongst the higher-end car marques … a brand that has incredible potential in Asia, despite their obsession with brands that have already achieved an accepted level of status … a brand that has the power to represent the shift in the Asian value of progression … and given you have obviously chosen specifically not to go with the agency that helped you in so many other markets around the World, I would love the chance to come and have a chat because a brand like yours deserves communication that does you justice, and that doesn’t just mean in helping you build the value of the brand, I mean in helping you build significant sales through the value of the brand and should you want to have a chat – it would give me the greatest, greatest of confidential pleasure and all you have to do is click here.
There’s a lot of great people in Y&R* – and it still represents a special time in my career – but if they are indeed behind this monstrosity, then the only reasons I can come up with for it being out in the public domain are [1] the creatives were being held gun point by a blind creative/accout director … [2] the entire agency was experiencing a group brain aneurysm … &/or [3] the people behind it have absolutey no understanding of the brand, the market or advertising in general … and so in the interests of everyone, I think whatever the reason, the people involved should take the lead of Santa and disappear from our sight for at least a year.
After the pain of this, it’s little surprise Monday is my last post of the year.
Thanks a lot Y&R Singapore*, you’ve ruined my Christmas! And Audi’s 2010.
* If this wasn’t Y&R, then I apologise, I am basing it on reports they had won the account – so if I am mistaken, my anger should be re-directed at whichever agency/creative team were behind it. Thank you.