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With the launch of the new luxury sedan by Audi, Creativeland Asia bets on the digital medium to create the brand aura.
Communication needs to go beyond dialogue and become an experience, says Sajan Raj Kurup, founder and creative chairperson, Creativeland Asia, in conversation with afaqs!. Staying true to this, the agency has created an engaging integrated campaign in 3D for Audi's new luxury sedan, the Audi A8 L.
Not hiding its intention to be seen as an aspirational brand, the German luxury car maker is betting on a blend of aesthetics and technology, captured in the tagline for the campaign -- 'The Advanced State of Mind' - coined by Creativeland Asia (CLA).
In a press statement, Kurup says, "The new Audi A8 L is, quite simply put, the pinnacle of automotive luxury. So, it stood to reason to turn to psychology to help position the car. We applied Maslow's hierarchy of needs to reinterpret the luxury car segment."
Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a theory in psychology, is often portrayed in the shape of a pyramid, with the largest and lowest levels of needs at the bottom, and the need for self-actualisation at the top.
In addition to the film, the agency has also created what it claims is India's first 3D microsite for Audi A8 L, where users can further explore the car and interact with its intrinsic details. On the cards is a full 3D iPad application, as well as mobile versions of the site.
The film and the web experience will be further explored in showrooms on touch screens and 3D screens.
The film has been shot in London. The project has been conceived and created by the agency and produced by Crocodile Films, in collaboration with The Mill London.
Kurup tells afaqs! that the decision to take the 3D route was born from the need to create a magical experience, mixing technology and the "advanced state of mind".
Interestingly, the campaign will not be led by television, but will be betting big on digital. "We are not investing much on television. We are going with any medium that builds the experience. This is what you call 'truly integrated'. The evolved consumer today anyway spends little time watching television and is found more engaging in the digital space," says Kurup.
Both the agency and the client agree that it is not volumes that are being chased. The priority is to build aspiration among consumers and the Audi brand aura.
Michael Perschke, director, Audi India says, "We are happy by this positioning strategy from Creativeland. Self-actualisation is an advanced state of mind, where you feel that mundane things hold little value and you seek peace in small, intrinsic details. This is when the senses regain their lost powers after years of materialistic pursuit. For the Audi A8 L buyer, it is the state where he is the centre, where his senses open and he finds pleasure in the little details."
Adding to this, Srishti Sawhney, head, marketing communications, Audi India says, "To communicate this idea, what was needed above all else, was a 'Wow' factor. A truly inspirational experience to justify the campaign title; and true to Audi's progressive outlook, we decided to create the world's first fully 3D integrated campaign."
Keeping in mind recent communication, one finds advertising in the category getting increasingly challenging and innovative, with both agencies and clients constantly pushing the envelope. "It is innovation not for the heck of it, but all about being relevantly innovative," Kurup says.