In 2016, the US presidential debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were heating up to be the fight of the century, and one of the most watched events of the year. Audi saw an opportunity to make a bold, progressive statement and get people talking.

So we created an epic duel of our own to only air during the three televised debates. The Audi version of political satire, ‘Duel’ featured one woman and one man duking it out in a knock-down-drag-out battle for the highest prize of them all. Finding out what started the fight was half the fun and led to the story’s unique narrative approach.

The spot was a tongue-in-cheek reminder to America that there is something bigger than political parties worth fighting for. It was also loaded with over twenty Easter Eggs to spark conversation and encourage people to watch again and again.

“Duel” was launched as a progressive forthright message to inspire consumers to vote during the three presidential debates in 2016. Over 84 million viewers tuned in to the first debate alone, and the media placement right before the debate started was utilized to highlight the importance of voting to the Audi brand. The spot was placed in all three presidential debates on broadcast networks with CNN, Fox News, CBS, and ABC. It was also boosted and promoted through influencers and owned channels on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

With over 84 million viewers alone tuning into the first debate, our objectives were met beyond expectations. Audi garnered over 166MM+ earned impressions with 57+ organic press pickups. Through promotions on our owned channels, Duel received over 17.22MM digital views, with 44% higher viewership than expected. Duel was also named the #2 spot of the year by Adweek.