My family and I engage in a little friendly competition when we watch big showcase events on TV…who can guess what product an ad is for first? The easiest category is always car commercials because they show, well, cars. The outside of cars driving on race courses/snowy mountains/country roads; the inside filled with smiling families/gritty workmen/gorgeous models. So we were momentarily stumped by Audi’s ‘Friendly Competition’ ad which shows people competing to do everyday things. It’s a clever ad that stands out in its category – along with the thrill of two days of mogul skiing, it has stayed with me. But, what does it say about Audi as a brand?

In the U.S. market at least, Audi’s brand position is “like BMW but not as good.” The ad turns this around to announce some industry award wins over its rival. Which leaves me wondering – what is really unique about Audi? Since its cars are similar but (now I know) slightly better, what sets it apart apparently is its personality. In the serious engineering category, Audi equals FUN serious engineering.

Will this work? The Germans aren’t exactly known for being playful. American consumers are feeling pretty beaten up though, so maybe fun expensive sedans will lift our collective mood. We’ll have to wait to see who sells more cars….and, speaking of friendly competition, who wins more medals on the slopes.

- Peggy Brown

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