Would Iggy Pop drive an Audi?
If the seminal proto-punk rocker got one free for lending his 1973 head-banger "Search and Destroy" to the soundtrack of the automaker's new campaign from Venables Bell & Partners, then, yes, he probably would.
"Intelligence is the new rock and roll" is the tagline for the work, which touts the 2017 Audi A4, playing up the car's performance, design and technology features.
"The idea of equating rock 'n' roll with the new world of technology felt very fresh to us," Loren Angelo, director of marketing at Audi of America, tells AdFreak. "These inventors and thinkers are the new disrupters. They are the people we all want to be. What's more rock 'n' roll than that?"
Check out the cascading images, set to Iggy's throbbing beat, in the :60 anthem here:
Hmm … mostly footage of the A4, a band playing and shiny tech stuff. Plus a Wired magazine cover, a high-school football game and what looks like a Mars probe landing. Sort of a random mix, and standard quick-cut approach, though well shot by Park Pictures director A.G. Rojas, and impressively propelled by the choice of music.
The next spot illustrates that much of the technology used in Audi Pilotless Vehicles also powers the A4:
That driverless car is pretty cool, and the straightforward voiceover helps focus the message (which, frankly, drifted a bit in the previous commercial).
Finally, playful visuals emphasize how Audi's cutting-edge tech provides a personal touch:
"Today's cultural icons are pushing boundaries with ideas," says Angelo. "Music has always had the power to create culture, and now, so does technology."
Fair enough, though the whole rockin' car thing has been done before, most famously by Cadillac and Led Zeppelin. Likewise, Iggy's "Search and Destroy" worked better for Nike. (At least Audi spared us from more commercial choruses of the man's awesome but overused "Lust for Life.")
All in all, while the A4 itself may encompass rad innovations, the campaign feels a tad too generic and familiar. That leaves Audi, for all its sonic swagger, miles away from punk and stalled in the middle of the road.
See some :15s from the campaign below.
CREDITS
Audi/A4 "Rock And Roll" :60/:30:
Client Name: Audi of America
Brand: Audi
Spot Names: Rock and Roll
Air Date: 3/14/16
Agency: Venables Bell & Partners
Executive Creative Director: Paul Venables, Will McGinness
Creative Directors: Erich Pfeifer, Tyler Hampton
Associate Creative Directors: Matt Miller, Matt Keats
Art Director: Daniel Ieraci
Copywriter: Tyler Hampton, Craig Ross
Director Of Integrated Production: Craig Allen
Agency Executive Producer: Mandi Holdorf
Production Company: Park Pictures
Director: AG Rojas
Director of Photography: Bradford Young
Executive Producer: Mary Ann Marino
Line Producer: Valerie Romer
Editing Company: Final Cut
Editor: Rick Russell – Rock and Roll and Pilotless; Crispin Struthers – Touch, Faster, Horsepower, Intelligent Statement
Colorist: Gregory Reese
Music Company: n/a
Featured Song: Search and Destroy by Iggy Pop and the Stooges
Music Supervisor: n/a
Sound Design: 740 Sound
Executive Producer: Scott Ganary
Sound Design Producer: Jeff Martin
Lead Sound Designer: Chris Pinkston
Final Mix : M Squared
Mix Engineer: Mark Pitchford
VFX: The Mill
VFX Producer: Chris Harlowe
VFX Supervisor: Gareth Parr
Head Of Brand Management & Client Services: David Corns
Brand Director: Chris Bergen, Justin Pitcher
Brand Supervisors: Justin Wang, Ally Humpherys
Brand Managers: Oliver Glenn, Faire Davidson
Assistant Brand Manager: Brianne Jones
Project Manager: Talya Fisher, Leah Murphy
Audi/A4 "Touch", "Pilotless", "Faster", "Horsepower", "Intelligent Statement":
Client Name: Audi of America
Brand: Audi
Spot Names: Touch, "Pilotless", "Faster", "Horsepower", "Intelligent Statement"
Agency: Venables Bell & Partners
Executive Creative Director: Paul Venables, Will McGinness
Creative Directors: Erich Pfeifer, Tyler Hampton
Associate Creative Directors: Matt Miller, Matt Keats
Art Director: Daniel Ieraci
Copywriter: Craig Ross
Director Of Integrated Production: Craig Allen
Agency Executive Producer: Mandi Holdorf
Production Company: Park Pictures
Director: AG Rojas
Director of Photography: Bradford Young
Executive Producer: Mary Ann Marino
Line Producer: Valerie Romer
Editing Company: Final Cut
Editor: Rick Russell – Rock and Roll and Pilotless; Crispin Struthers – Touch, Faster, Horsepower, Intelligent Statement
Colorist: Gregory Reese
Music Company: n/a
Featured Song: Search and Destroy by Iggy Pop and the Stooges
Music Supervisor: n/a
Sound Design: 740 Sound
Executive Producer: Scott Ganary
Sound Design Producer: Jeff Martin
Lead Sound Designer: Chris Pinkston
Final Mix: M Squared
Mix Engineer: Mark Pitchford
VFX: The Mill
VFX Producer: Chris Harlowe
VFX Supervisor: Gareth Parr
Head Of Brand Management & Client Services: David Corns
Brand Director: Chris Bergen, Justin Pitcher
Brand Supervisors: Justin Wang, Ally Humpherys
Brand Managers: Oliver Glenn, Faire Davidson
Assistant Brand Manager: Brianne Jones
Project Manager: Talya Fisher, Leah Murphy
