Lowe Stratéus launched a new spot for the Audi Quattro starring French ski champion and filmmaker Candide Thovex, who also directed the ad.
Unlike VB+P’s recent “The Forecast,” which touts the Quattro’s ability in the snow, the ad showcases the vehicle’s handling of other terrain. Thovex skis down a mountain in the ad, with one noticeable catch: there’s no snow. The French skiier makes his way down the mountain terrain, navigating tall grass, dirt paths, fallen leaves, wooden bridges and a herd of cows before the spot concludes by cutting to the Quattro driving up the hill, followed by the tagline “All conditions are perfect conditions.”
“We wanted to change the current idea of Quattro technology being mostly to drive on the snow or frozen water,” agency account director Ludovic Pagot told Adweek. “The client wanted to show the Quattro in a mountain environment—without snow. Then someone reminded us that skiing without snow was possible. And that was it!”
“The spot is being run without paid media support, relying on its unusual nature to get viewers to share,” added Pagot. “It had to be spectacular to become viral. Candide [who also directed] helped us a lot with that, with great inputs on the scenario.”
And it has succeeded at going viral, racking up nearly 2.5 million views across Facebook and YouTube in three days.