Marketing , , ,

AUDI Australia, as it kicks goals on the sales charts, has moved to build on the core cost of its sponsorship of AFL team Hawthorn with the release of a quirky video featuring Hawks stars kicking from roof-top to roof-top on the Melbourne skyline.

In a move designed to raise public awareness of its sponsorship of the reigning AFL premiers, Audi this week started a marketing push powered by three Hawthorn players who endeavoured to kick an illuminated football 60m between two Melbourne CBD rooftops at night.

Under the title ‘Greatness Never Rests’ and linked to a YouTube video, it compares the abilities and never-say-never attitude of the football players with Audi’s approach to making and selling its range of cars.

 

 

The marketing campaign – the first for Audi since it became a principal partner with the Hawthorn Football Club late last year – involved kicking specially-adapted LED-lit footballs between two Melbourne CBD high-rise buildings while invited Hawk fans watched from below on Little Bourke Street.

Audi’s brand ambassador and Hawk vice-captain Jordan Lewis took on the task along with team mates Luke Breust and Isaac Smith.

Audi Australia managing director Andrew Doyle said the company’s role as a sponsor of the Hawthorn AFL club was designed to give the German prestige car-maker greater public awareness compared with rivals Mercedes-Benz and BMW.

“For us, sponsoring Hawthorn was an interesting opportunity,” he said.

“We’re still relatively young so we wanted to look at something that gives big-brand awareness. AFL does that because it covers a broad span of society.

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“Though Melbourne-based, it is arguably covered in all states. We now have Audi rings on the shorts of players and the coach has our logo on his collar.”

Mr Doyle said the Hawks was “a winning team and has given us great exposure”.

“When we did the search on the sponsorship level there were only a couple of AFL teams that were not sponsored by car companies.

“We became the only premium car company to be a sponsor of a team. It’s only early days of course but we’re very excited by it.”

The campaign was the concept of Audi’s creative advertising agency 303 MullenLowe. It started this week and will be followed by a video with the Hawks team driving the latest Audi R8.

The videos will only be shown online on YouTube and on the social sites of Audi Australia and the Hawthorn Football Club.

Footnote: Audi Australia announced a sales increase of 9.6 per cent year-to-date to the end of April.

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