Audi's Latest Safety Commercial Has More Clowns Than Your Worst Nightmare

The golden age of advertising has passed, and so today we're treated to short, dull commercials that usually have zero artistic value. A half-naked woman, an aspirational setting, a VIP, a more or less funny joke - that's about all you can expect from modern ads these days, and quite frankly, it's not enough.

That's why we should welcome efforts such as this latest one from Audi which feels like a short film rather than a commercial spot. It has a superb execution, great atmosphere, it's subtle enough, and it doesn't repeat the product's name every three seconds.

In fact, there is no voiceover whatsoever, replaced instead with a whispered rendition of Barbara Streisand's very appropriate "Send in the Clowns" that gives the one-minute-and-a-half-long video a very calming soundtrack that's in stark contrast to what's going on on the screen.

And that's because unlike other advertising efforts, the main actor here isn't the product, but a bunch of clowns. Oh, yes: if you used to dream you were being chased by a machete-wielding Bozo, you better look away now, or you won't be catching any sleep tonight.

The idea is that other drivers around us can sometimes act like clowns, and you need Audi's suite of sensors and technologies to keep you safe. Of course, you could opt for a number of other brands that offer similar features on their cars, but first they need to make a commercial that's at least as good as this one.

We would probably laugh at all the ridiculous things these clowns do if the whole thing weren't so weirdly unsettling. Is it because we all have a slight case of clown-phobia? No, it's probably because we've all run into similar clowns in traffic, so what this spot shows is perfectly real. Without the makeup and the wigs, of course.