Thursday, March 13, 2008
The Audi R8
For my blog post I chose to do a myth analysis on a Super Bowl ad from this year. The commercial is for the German automotive manufacturer Audi, and their new super car the R8. Two characters are featured in this commercial; the rich old man, and the perpetrator in the R8. The setting of the commercial takes place in the old man's very expensive mansion. The man wakes up in his huge bed alone, and appears apprehensive. He then sees his hand covered in grease and oil. He looks for the source under the covers and finds the front end of classic luxury car removed from its body. He screams in horror and the camera switches to the R8 out front as the car turns on. The car speeds off like OJ and the Audi emblem finishes up the commercial. The commercial is actually a remake of a scene from the movie The Godfather, except that a man wakes up to find the mob has placed his prize race horses head at his feet. The two values pitted against each other are old and new. The conflict is between the old luxury cars, and a new and different luxury car from Audi. Traditional luxury cars are considered slow and looked at more as a limousine to be driven around in. Audi is suggesting why not have luxury, but kick ass and takes names while doing it. Audi shows this old vs. new also by the characters. The man in the bed was very old, and so was his car. The driver in the R8 who we never see, is in a brand new car. This makes the viewer assume the driver would be young, especially with the way the R8 blasts away from that mansion. Audi resolves this conflict by removing the grill off the old luxury car, and speeding off in their new one. Audi also heeds a warning, "Old luxury just got put on notice." The hero in the end is the R8 and its driver. They take care of the old car, and speed off brilliantly to the horizon. Audi is asking its drivers to chose a different type of luxury, and buy their new product. Audi didn't really need this commercial to sell this car, it already sold itself in my mind....what I wouldn't give for $110,000.
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3 comments:
I love The Godfather reference. It gives the car a rebel and dangerous feel as well. It is definately targeted to a younger audience with money to spare, probably Hollywood and the like. But I agree, it looks awesome, I want it.
I'll say that the R8 is an amazing vehicle,it's relatively affordable, good looking, handles well, and is something that other supercars are not, practical to use on a regular basis. It's a far cry from the old Countach.
I thought this was a great ad. The serenity of the night, then the insects sizzle in the background was just perfect to grip that initial attention over what the ad was all about. I thought you tackled the conflicts of old vs new perfectly. True, the ad easily appeals to youthful figures but it does send a message to the old folk to overcome the nightmares of dealing with the old luxury cars and embrace the power, style and the "invinsible" new look in the R8.
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