Angus does a great job in bringing to light a somewhat spontaneous campaign by Audi in his post I #WantAnR8 Too!!. It’s always amazing to see how a small act can turn into something big.
Connecting with consumers is a large part of how people see a company’s brand. In this case Audi took it upon themselves to show they consumers that they are listening. Even though very few can afford a Audi R8, they have shown that anyone can drive this car by approaching random tweeters. I think that though this is an amazing feat on Audi’s part they have diluted the image of one of their top of the line cars. By showing that anyone can drive this car they are saying that its for more than just the rich when they are the only ones who can afford them. When you think of an Audi R8 you think “prestige” and not “random tweeter.” Though most evidence points to a successful PR feat. Audi should bear in mind that their R8 is a top of the line car that only a handful of people should own. They should ensure that throughout this campaign they can maintain this image so that they don’t loose the customers who would other wise purchase one.
Audi has shown what the power of media can do. With the growing social media scene, things like “Hashtag campaigns” and “online sweepstakes,” companies should look to Audi who has truly harnessed the power of social media to get their name out there, and have even gone to the point of using their hashtag in some of their commercial – a first in automobile ad history.