Mercedes Benz and BMW dominate Japan’s luxury import car market. Awareness of Audi as a premium brand is low. Moreover, Japanese carmakers are focusing on the luxury sedan category. In this competitive environment, how could we market Audi as an innovative, premium brand and differentiate it from competitors? How could we reach new customers? We learned from an owner’s survey that Audi drivers tend to be highly interested in gourmet cuisine. So we tied-up with “Tokyo Calendar,” a magazine popular among gourmands, and created a “test drive” campaign involving Audi and some of Tokyo’s most exclusive restaurants. Japanese law has zero tolerance for driving after drinking. Thus we had an opportunity to promote the “premium backseat” of a chauffeur-driven Audi for selected “test-drivers”. By linking Audi to gourmet cuisine, we could cultivate a new customer group that traditionally had little interest in car brands and build a premium brand image.

Audi received over 1,500 applications for each of the five “test drives” (three couples selected for each) and over 7,500 applications in total. The new database of prospective customers is still being used by dealerships for sales promotion activities. The campaign was such a hit Audi has continued it in 2008.

Working with “Tokyo Calendar”, we developed content to match Audi’s brand image by focusing on chefs known for their innovative approach to cooking. To show that Audi is a premium brand, we involved restaurants with Michelin Guide stars and a long waiting list for table reservations. The participating chefs created original “Audi” course menus featuring dishes that depicted Audi’s Four Silver Rings. Our “test drivers” (we selected couples who were chauffeured to the restaurant in an Audi A8, Audi’s flagship model) served an exclusive dinner with premium service and driven home. It was a test drive unlike any other, delivered to people who wouldn’t ordinarily test drive a car and it served to bring Audi’s traditional brand values of innovation and premium in line with the appealing values of sophistication and hospitality.

The gourmet magazine “Tokyo Calendar” ran articles featuring the various chefs’ original “Audi” menus. Next to the article we “advertised” Audi by showing the chef’s signature dish displaying Audi’s Four Silver Rings. This soft approach effectively appealed to a segment of the population that would normally pay no attention to a car advertisement and gained considerable reader attention. On the popular online version of “Tokyo Calendar”, as well as on Audi’s own website people could apply for a “test drive”; a chauffeured ride to an exclusive restaurant (dinner and drinks for 2 included). Audi compiled from the large number of submissions a new database of potential customers. Audi has been able to utilize this database to reach out to a new group of prospective customers in a more targeted way.