Audi's 2014 Super Bowl ad, like the mutant animal it imagines, is a bit of an odd beast.
Following two teasers, the automaker on Monday released the full spot, from Venables Bell & Partners and director Noam Murro. It features a man and woman looking in a pet store for the perfect dog. When they can't choose between a Chihuahua and a Doberman Pinscher, the store suggests they get both—a blended "Doberhuahua" breed. Sounds like a fine plan, until things go awry (in the couple's imagination, at least) and a pack of Doberhuahuas begins to chew up an entire city.
Turns out the whole point is not to compromise. "The all-new Audi A3. Designed without compromise," says the on-screen text at the end. (The couple end up not compromising by choosing a not-lethal mutt from a rescue shelter.)
The visuals in the ad are certainly amusing, and a Doberhuahua attacking Sarah McLachlan's guitar is a welcome sight. But it seems like a bit of a roundabout way to get to a message—#StayUncompromised—that could apply to almost anything.
Last year's "Prom" spot had a similarly vague message—"Bravery. It's what defines us"—but was well liked because of the winning storyline. This year's plot crosses over into such absurdism that the message about not compromising feels like a disconnect. (And speaking of crossing over, combining two animals to make a new one, in a car commercial, could make you expect a message about a crossover or a hybrid—and the A3 is neither.)
Dogs, violence and Sarah McLachlan. Like the Doberhuahua itself, it's an odd combination.