Venables Bell & Partners found a way to stand out for Audi amidst a barrage of feel-good holiday ads.
“Parking Lot” eschews the typical approach and instead takes a look at the darker side of the season, via a relatable seasonal dilemma: the war for a parking space. The spot opens with two Audi drivers entering a parking lot, where they proceed to enter a prolonged battle for the last parking spot, set to the strains of “Carol of the Bells.” With seemingly no parking spots left, they resort to drastic measures.
Just when things seem resolved, albeit via an ambiguous scene jump, the two find more to fight over. The spot ends with the tongue-in-cheek line, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year.”
The approach will inevitably be a divisive one. Some will fault the ad for being too dark or Audi for not having holiday spirit. Others will welcome it as a much needed break from a barrage of overly saccharine odes to the holidays. Either way, the narrative does find a way to showcase the Audi RS3 and RS7 in action.
Credits:
Advertising Agency: Venables Bell & Partners, San Francisco, USA
Founder, Chairman: Paul Venables
Partner, Executive Creative Director: Will McGinness
Creative Directors: Justin Moore , Erich Pfeifer
Copywriter: Tedd Wood
Art Director: Cody Pate
Director of Integrated Production: Craig Allen
Producer: Hilary Coate
Business Affairs Manager: Sametta Gbilia
Head of Brand Management: David Corns
Brand Director: Jon Phillips
Brand Supervisors: Jessica Lo, Justin Wang
Brand Manager: Hope Stadulis
Brand Coordinator: Alexandra Kaye
Senior Strategist: Mike Riley
Senior Traffic Manager: Jermelia Holling
Production Company: Biscuit FIlmworks
Director: Steve Rogers
Executive Producers: Shawn Lacy, Holly Vega
Line Producer: Karen O’Brien
DoP: Alwin Kuchler
Editing Company: Exile
Editor: Kirk Baxter
Assistant Editor: Paul Jarolimekproner
Executive Producer: CL Weaver
Producer: Remy Foxx
VFX / Finish: Electric Theatre Collective
VFX Lead Supervisor: Adam Watson
VFX Executive Producer: Kate Hitchings
VFX Producer: Scott Boyajan
2D Artists: Matt Lee, Matt Lee
CG Supervisor: Corinne DeOrsay
Color: Co3
Colorist: Stefan Sonnenfeld
Color Producer: Katie Andrews
Music Company / Music Arrangement / Sound Design / Mix: Barking Owl
Creative Director / Partner: Kelly Bayett
Producer: KC Dossett
Sound Designers: Wylie Statemen, Harry Cohen
Mixer: Mike Franklin