Creativity Audi Made One Hell of an Entertaining Ad for Tonight’s Debate That Everyone Will Love A much more enjoyable 'Duel'By Tim Nudd|September 26, 2016Share By Tim Nudd|September 26, 2016Share There’s one thing almost everyone watching Monday night’s first presidential debate will be able to agree on—that this new Audi commercial, “Duel,” airing during the telecast, is a brilliant bit of perfectly timed entertainment. It would give away too much to reveal the identities of the couple who first appear, exhausted and disheveled, on the floor of a ballroom—having apparently crashed through the skylight above and on to a giant seafood buffet. The action then proceeds all in reverse, showing the man and woman’s War of the Roses-like battles, scene by scene—hurtling headlong toward the initial moment of conflict. Before reading further, check out the spot, by Venables Bell & Partners, here: It’s the perfect spot for what’s been a brutal political season—it’s violent and unrelenting and (literally) backwards. Yet it’s also the opposite of this election, in that the ultimate payoff is well worth the wait and something everyone can love. Its gender-opposite foes are equally matched, and they both want the same thing. And it very cleverly positions the Audi RS 7 itself as the ultimate candidate—the thing worth choosing, no matter who you are. The onscreen copy at the end reads, “Beautiful things are worth fighting for. Choose the next driver wisely.” Those lines are pointed but also pretty bipartisan, likely to resonate with Clinton and Trump supporters alike. In fact, the only group that seems likely to uniformly oppose the spot are lobsters. The spot really is shot like a Hollywood-blockbuster, too, and that’s largely down to the stocked talent in the production team. The ad was directed by Ringan Ledwidge, one of the industry’s best (whose credits include the Guardian’s famous “Three Little Pigs” spot); the cinematography is by Greig Fraser, with stunt choreography by Robert Alonzo; and the production designer was the Oscar-nominated K.K. Barrett (Her, Where the Wild Things Are, Lost in Translation and Adaptation). The spot will air during all three presidential debates, starting tonight. Audi has been on a roll lately, with VB&P having also made the very fun “Desolation” spot with Airbnb a few weeks back and Razorfish crafting the amusing T-Rex ad as well. CREDITS Client Name: Audi of America Brand: Audi Spot Name: Duel Air Dates: 9/26/16, 10/9/16, 10/19/16 Agency: Venables Bell & Partners Founder, Chairman: Paul Venables Partner, Executive Creative Director: Will McGinness Creative Director: Justin Moore Creative Director: Erich Pfeifer ACD/Copywriter: Matt Keats ACD/Art Director: Matt Miller Director Of Integrated Production: Craig Allen Senior Producer: Matt Flaker Producer: Gabby Gardner Production Company: Rattling Stick Director: Ringan Ledwidge Director of Photography: Greig Fraser Head of Production: Richard McIntosh Executive Producer: Joe Biggins Executive Producer: Jeff Shupe Line Producer: Greg Haggart Stunt Coordinator: Robert Alonzo Production Designer: K.K. Barrett Editing Company: Work Editorial Editor: Rich Orrick Assistant Editor: Mike Horan Executive Producer: Marlo Baird Producer: Brandee Probasco Music Company: Woodwork Music Music Composer: Philip Kay Music Coordinator: Andy Oskwarek Sound Design/Final Mix: The Sound Lab at Technicolor Executive Producer: Debbie Gonzalez Lead Sound Designer/Mix Engineer: Scott Gershin Sound Designer: Johannes Hammers VFX: The Mill Executive Creative Director: Phil Crowe VFX Supervisor: John Shirley CG Lead: David Lawson VFX Senior Producer: Anastasia von Rahl VFX Associate Producer: Karina Slater Colorist: Greg Reese Head Of Brand Management: David Corns Brand Director: Chris Bergen Brand Supervisor: Justin Wang Brand Manager: Abu Ngauja Project Managers: Talya Fisher, Leah Murphy Adweek Adweek