When last we heard from Audi and Venables Bell & Partners, the agency/client turned to Iggy Pop to convince us that intelligence and innovation are today’s version of punk and that tech innovators are the new rock stars.
The new spot is quite different. It (sort of) celebrates Audi’s status as a returning Emmy’s sponsor but focuses more on the company’s new partnership with the ubiquitous Airbnb.
Emmy viewers and others will have a chance to experience the life of this badass dude, who only drives an Audi, only drinks fair trade artisanal coffee, and chooses to spend his time scheduling family trips to the hippest spot in Nevada: the middle of Death Valley.
Dude feels the need for speed. He also has some nostalgia for old school things like New York Times paper delivery, but his kids seem a little bored as the son plays with dangerous animals and the daughter tries hard to kill their monthly data plan. Why wouldn’t this guy leave his kids with the in-laws, we wonder?
The circumstances behind this narrative are fictional, but the house is real — even if its current purpose is to promote the Audi R8.
Some details: renters can stay in that house for the low price of $610 per night, but they can’t bring a dog, check in after 3 PM, smoke a cigarette, throw a party or invite kids aged 0 to 12. So the guy above is blatantly flaunting the rules while taking the opportunity to enjoy the “Audi VIP treatment,” which amounts to “one day of driving – all under the masterful eye of some of our best driving instructors” along with “a chance to experience 0-60 mph in 3.2 seconds.”
This house doesn’t include an address or, presumably, a working wi-fi connection. But it does have an R8 parked in the dusty driveway, and “nearly every star in the sky can be seen at night, offering the experience of a lifetime.” Winners’ meals will be prepared by a personal chef before some unspecified “evening entertainment/activities.”
The work doesn’t have much to do with the Emmys, but it will debut during the ceremony on Sunday. Regarding the ceremony itself, the question is not which shows will win but how many more awards will go to Game of Thrones than all other contenders combined.
CREDITS
CLIENT NAME: Audi of America
BRAND: Audi
SPOT NAME: Desolation
AIR DATE: 9/18/16
AGENCY: Venables Bell & Partners
EXECUTIVE CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Will McGinness
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Justin Moore, Erich Pfeifer
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, COPYWRITER: Matt Miller
ASSOCIATE CREATIVE DIRECTOR, ART DIRECTOR: Matt Keats
SENIOR ART DIRECTOR: Kyle Jones
DIRECTOR OF INTEGRATED PRODUCTION: Craig Allen
SENIOR PRODUCER: Matt Flaker
PRODUCTION COMPANY: MJZ
DIRECTOR: Craig Gillespie
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Phillip Lesourd
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Emma Wilcockson
PRODUCER: Martha Davis
EDITING COMPANY: Final Cut Editorial
HEAD OF PRODUCTION/FINAL CUT: Suzy Ramirez
EDITOR: Crispin Struthers
MUSIC COMPANY: Human
COMPOSER: James Leibow
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Craig DeLeon
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Jonathan Sanford
SOUND DESIGN AND MIX: 740 Sound
MIXER: Chris Pinkston
SOUND DESIGNERS: Chris Pinkston, A. Josh Reinhardt, Rob Marshall
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Scott Ganary
PRODUCER: Jeff Martin
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER OF MIX: Geena Richard
VFX/FINISH: Framestore
COLORIST: Beau Leon
VFX SENIOR EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: James Razzall
PRODUCER: Bomyee Hwang
VFX SENIOR PRODUCER: James Alexander
VFX CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Alex Thomas
HEAD OF BRAND MANAGEMENT: David Corns
BRAND DIRECTORS: Chris Bergen, Ally Humpherys
ASSISTANT BRAND MANAGER: Bri Jones
PROJECT MANAGER: Talya Fisher, Leah Murphy