autoevolution
 

"Audi: The Forecast" Is a Heartwarming Story About the Holidays and Family Values

There's a huge disparity between what we car guys consider to be a good commercial, which involves sideways shenanigans, and what the consumers like. Case in point, the latest Audi ad is boring by our standards but very popular on YouTube.
"Audi: The Forecast" Is a Heartwarming Story About the Holidays and Family Values 1 photo
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube
"Audi: The Forecast" was released in the United States this November and racked up nearly 600,000 views in less than two weeks. For a car commercial devoid of Super Bowl levels of humor, that's pretty good.

It was done by Venables Bell & Partners, a San Francisco advertising agency. Despite looking simple in both concept and execution, it received a big budget.

Every time snow approaches, Audi cranks up the marketing machine, as quattro is pretty much the only marketing advantage these guys have over Mercedes-Benz and BMW, not that AWD is unique to the four-ringed carmaker.

As the story goes, a snowstorm takes out the power and knocks out all the holiday spirit from "Grandpa," the main protagonist. It's not even that Thanksgiving or Christmas is over for him, it's more like it's the end of the world.

You see, it's the holidays when all the family gets together, and Gramps sees his beloved grandkids. Not even the cute dog is able to cheer him up, as he puts on a fresh pot of tea and ponders the true meaning of life. That's what you get when you live in the middle of nowhere!

But lo and behold, his family arrives to save the day. When the weather shows you its naughty side, Audi's quattro all-wheel-drive shows you its best. "By intuitively sending power to all four wheels, quattro delivers power to the wheels with the most grip, maximizing traction in wet weather conditions. Tailored to each vehicle's intended purpose, our legendary quattro all-wheel drive has pushed vehicle performance 35 years strong," the company says.

You've got the SQ5 performance SUV in blue, followed by the all-new Q7 and the A8 sedan. And after you get to ogle at these expensive German cars, they make the granddaughter deliver the punchline "Plus, we have quattro, grandpa."

It's just like the ending from It's a Wonderful Life, but with dorky fathers and luxury goods.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories