Ch. 17 - Advertising and Public Relations

Audi, like most other luxury car brands, is in a weird place when it comes to who they advertise to. Their target market is clearly set as people in the upper middle class who can afford a car that runs between $60,000-$150,000. Therefore, they can't really advertise to anyone else BUT that one group, because no matter how much someone might want an Audi, if they can't afford it, they can't have it (unless of course you buy a used one, but Audi wouldn't be trying to advertise an older, out of date model). This makes their lives a little bit easier, and allows them to focus more on the style and execution of their advertising and less on who they're focusing on. Recently, Audi has employed a funnier, more satirical feel in their commercials, like the commercial where a snow plow driver talks about the new Audi A8 Quattro (with 4 wheel drive) is like a wild beast that constantly evades the plow driver, much to his chagrin. Audi and BMW have long been in an advertising war that pitches each company's new car against the others, mainly their sportier cars. Below is a billboard they made in response to BMW saying they had just won World Car of the Year.

In terms of public relations, Audi is very active in positive promotion for their brand while also showing their belief in social responsibility. Audi has been a strong supporter of the  Elton John AIDS Foundation, and they recently put up two Chrome Audi R8's (the R8 is their most expensive car, and one of the best super cars on the market) which brought in almost £650,000. Last year they teamed up with Tom Brady, quarterback of the New England Patriots, and the Best Buddies foundation. They managed to raise about $350,000, a sizable contribution to the $36 million the pairing has amassed in the last 4 years.