Audi is spending some big bucks during the 2011 “Big Game” to try and convince younger buyers to abandon Mercedes-Benz because it’s the luxury brand favored by their old, stuffy (wealthy) parents – a dying breed of luxury buyers. Audi would like you to believe that arch-rival Mercedes represents a “hollow status symbol” and an “outdated luxury tradition.” Audi, of course, will help you avoid that mistake.
The video below is a fun tease for the actual Super Bowl ads and sets the tenor for the pitch. It’s titled “Startled Smart” as a play on the “Scared Straight” concept where at-risk juvenile delinquents are brought to prisons to see what it’s really like being incarcerated in hopes that they lead a felony-free lifestyle. The message: Don’t end up in Luxury Prison.
This prequel would never air during the actual game. At three minutes long and a estimated $3 million for a prime 30-second spot on the 2011 Super Bowl broadcast, it would cost a staggering $18 million – and that’s just to the Fox. Forget what it cost to actually produce the spots.
In the words of Leonard Pinth-Garnell: “There… That wasn’t so good now, was it?”
Wunderbar!