The R8, the first super-sports-car in the Audi family; generated large interest among potential buyers, long before the actual launch. How do we nurture that interest and grow it to desire and action over a period of up to 1.5 years?

A premium set of three oversized mail pieces format (50 x 8 x 42 cm), taking the recipient on a journey through time by letting him participate in the R8 development story from first design sketch over a book about the genes of the R8 to a b/w photographic interpretation of the finished object of desire by Karl Lagerfeld.The design of the top cover leads the eye of the recipient on a tour around the car, highlighting character defining features of the Audi R8, i.e. the view of the engine, the side blades and the cars front.

This was the first mail piece, which was adapted by 100% of the Audi importers worldwide launching the Audi R8. The response rates of the recipients reached 80%, making the mailing a collector’s item among Audi enthusiasts. This “desire-to-own”-effect was further underlined by the fact that many boxes were auctioned via eBay – another first in the relationship marketing history at Audi.