Audi Canada

One of the last of the premium automakers to introduce a midsized SUV, it seemed 2009 would be a challenging year for Audi. January sales declined 32% versus 2008, and Mercedes-Benz was upping media spend for its midsized SUV by 29%.

As the most significant portion of the Audi Canada marketing spend in 2009, the Audi Q5 launch needed to not only sell the allocation of Q5 launch vehicles, but to increase interest in the brand among forty-something professionals.

The positioning had to capture how unique the Q5 product was. Consumers were ready for a sleeker, smaller, more efficient SUV. To call attention to the old-fashioned style of competitors, the agency created an SUV-shaped cardboard box as an icon to represent the entire category and juxtapose it with the sexy Q5.

Media had to be bold as well. Full-sized cardboard SUVs met the crowds at the Toronto International Car Show. A dominant billboard buy with newspaper and magazine followed with faux reviews of the “Box,” classified ads and executions on elevator doors. Provocative web banners and an over-the-top viral garnered thousands of hits on the web. Dealers were incented with kits containing a miniature version of the Box revealing a model Q5. Boxes parked alongside the new Q5 were ticketed and towed away.

While the rest of the auto industry is down 16.5% year to date, Audi is up 11%. The Audi Q5 sold 50% above projected targets, accounting for the majority of the sales increase. April was Audi Canada’s best sales month of all time and May’s sales were a staggering 52% over last year. The launch cars were sold out two months in advance of expectation. Key brand measures have increased dramatically with each passing quarter.