Nothing says “cutting-edge technology that includes Apple CarPlay integration, advanced driver assistance features, and the largest available digital instrument cluster” quite like a new version of a proto-punk song originally recorded in 1973 to protest the Vietnam War.
The new campaign for Audi by Venables Bell & Partners highlights the tech features of its 2017 A4 model with a little help from The Stooges’ “Search and Destroy.”
Here’s the main spot which debuted last night. Its title? “Rock and Roll,” of course.
As the campaign’s headline tells us, “Intelligence is the new rock and roll,” with intelligence in this case meaning thought leadership in the tech field.
What does this all have to do with The Stooges? It would seem, as the campaign implies, that tech innovators fill the roles once occupied by people like Iggy and David Bowie.
In the release, the client’s director of marketing in the U.S. Loren Angelo writes, “Technology is immersed in every aspect of culture and life today, and its impact is undeniable. The creative campaign for the Audi A4 embodies this movement.”
The pitch adds that, “with tech developers drawing crowds, CEOs trading suits for sneakers, and scientists growing loyal fan bases,” it’s quite obvious that one doesn’t have to jump into the mosh pit or develop a boring coke habit to qualify as a big rock star in 2016.
Two more spots focus on individual projects that back up Audi’s boasts: the first concerns “Pilotless” cars, which are also the epitome of punk rock in that they have influenced the sedans that consumers actually buy.
Next, can Audi sync your car with your Apple/Android clock, your smart home, and the thing you wear on your wrist? Yeah, duh. Watch for the Mercedes smackdown at :14.
Did you see that, Merkley + Partners?! The Audi A4 ain’t got time to make no apologies.
Three more :15 spots extend this argument. The first focuses on “class-leading horsepower.”
Next it’s back to the intelligence theme with the “virtual cockpit,” which is “an advanced LCD instrument cluster that displays key features and functions right in front of the driver.”
Finally, the one thing without which no vehicle could possibly claim to be hardcore: speed. In this case, that means the speed with which you can bring up your favorite iPhone apps while driving.
Between ads like these and the “I was punk when you were just a gleam in your mother’s coke spoon” nostalgia of your uncle’s favorite new Scorsese drama Vinyl, we think it safe to say that ’70s rock is no longer edgy in any conceivable way.
Maybe Audi is right about tech being the new punk, then. As Iggy Pop himself once put it, “Nihilism is best done by professionals.”
Or something.
CREDITS
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
V/FX: The Mill
VFX PRODUCER: Chris Marlowe
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
“Touch”, “Pilotless”, “Faster”, “Horsepower”, “Intelligent Statement” CREDIT LIST
CLIENT NAME: Audi of America
BRAND: Audi
SPOT NAMES: “Touch”, “Pilotless”, “Faster”, “Horsepower”, “Intelligent Statement”
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: 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
V/FX: 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