We are all familiar with the typical car commercial; the car is seen cruising through scenic landscape on a closed course with a professional driver at the wheel and the narrator is in the background telling you about gas mileage, safety ratings and then some spiel about financing options. Whether you are watching an advertisement for a Ford truck or a Lexus sedan I’m fairly certain they have all been seen driving down the same highway in California or up the same winding road in Colorado. In an industry that has such archaic advertising methods it is always interesting when a company deviates from the norm. Take the Honda Accord Domino commercial or the Volkswagen “Safe Happens” advertisements; each strayed from the path and as a result they had a greater impact on their target audience.

In late September Audi released a three minute video clip introducing us to the eclectic Becker family as they prepare for their annual Thanksgiving festivities. The idea behind this Internet video campaign was for Audi to portray the stereotypical driver of each of their competitors as a dysfunctional family member.

Let’s meet the family:

Marcus Becker is the old, wealthy father who drives the Mercedes. His favorite pastimes are “scotch followed by golf, followed by more scotch”

Louis Becker is the socially awkward older brother who chauffeurs his family around in a Lexus SUV. “Risks are just something Louis never takes”

Billy Becker is the rude, immature brother who weaves in and out of traffic in his BMW. “Billy’s days begin with Redbull, Advil and closing deals on his Bluetooth”

Jason Becker is the youngest brother of the Becker kin who drives the Audi and “he’s always been the closest resemblance to normalcy”

Why I think this works: Instead of showing me a standard car commercial and telling me that Audi Model XYZ has more cup holders than its competitors it has given me a character to associate with each brand. The first time I watched the video I was surprised at how Audi allotted roughly the same amount of time to showing me their car as they did to showing me the cars of their competitors. It seems somewhat counterintuitive – free publicity for competing brands is generally something an advertiser would want to avoid rather than encourage. But when you put a little more thought into it you begin realize they didn’t want you to necessarily remember what the car looked like but they wanted you to remember what character drives what car. For many, image is a significant factor in determining what vehicle to purchase, especially in the luxury car market. Do you want your car to say that you are stogy and outdated or obnoxious and reckless? Of course not, you want to be seen as young, successful and responsible, meaning you want to be like Jason driving the Audi. It is also important to look at the target market for this ad campaign. Jason is part of the Net Generation, by releasing Internet video advertisements, Audi is capturing a large portion of its intended audience for an extended period of time, a rare feat in the world of the impatient, click through, fast forward Net Gener.

My questions: If Audi is strictly targeting the Net Geners are they mistakenly ostracizing Gen X and the Boomers? If you exclude these generations from your market you are also excluding their deep pockets and financial stability. Or is this to be seen as a ‘hats off’ to the successful Net Generation, telling us that Audi thinks we should be invited to the world of luxury cars that was previously dominated by Gen X and Boomers? Although I can’t be sure I’d be inclined to suggest that they are staking their claim in a generation that will soon have the most spending power and influence in the market.

Audi recently released the second episode in the “Meet the Beckers” series which is a continuation of the story about Thanksgiving at the Becker household. This ad campaign definitely quirky but I can’t contest its ability to make me remember the brand. Even after watching the video the first time I was able to recall image associated with Audi and each of its competitors. The idea of making a commercial into a series of viral videos is also a unique way to capture the attention of your audience because it creates a story-like setting where the viewer (such as myself) wants to know what will happen with Jason and his crazy family.

But what do you think? Is Audi’s new way of advertising going to change car commercials targeted at the Net Gen or is it something that is just too weird to catch on?