As the official automotive sponsor of the 69th annual Emmy Awards, Audi USA honored a number of classic TV programs that have influenced the American culture with a bit of music. The trick? By using a carburetor as the main instrument, the carmaker’s hits are unlike any song you can hear on the radio.
In partnership with Venables Bell & Partners, the car manufacturer instructed its newest cars to play music to bring back the theme songs of three famous TV shows: Star Trek, Cheers, and The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The musical tribute got nicely packed in a campaign titled “Audi Orchestra” that includes three 30-second ads in which the car engines beautifully reinterpret the soundtrack of the popular series.
The sound of a powerful engine is like a music to a car enthusiast’s ears. But after you watch these ads, you might start appreciating it too. The San Francisco-based agency’s brilliant idea to simply turn the company’s flagship cars into a sensational musical trio emphasizes the way one can make sound from the most unlikely sources become art.
To generate the sounds, Audi worked with a team of sound engineers and an actual composer. The group gathered the audio data and processed each sound to get a more accurate result. The outcome is a musical ode that commemorates the emblematic nominees and winners of past Emmy Awards.
The eccentric orchestra members comprise of the Audi R8 V10 Plus, TT RS, and SQ5 models, which roar alongside a talented human orchestra. Besides string instruments and a piano, the performers complemented each song with wonderful harp tones and lovely French horns sounds.
The performance is set in a concert hall, where the three cars take the main stage. Each artistic moment opens up with an image of a musician – be it human or car – and continues with a mix of sounds that deliver a distinguished acoustic experience.
The video ad dedicated to Start Trek celebrates the fact that the famous show was nominated for Outstanding Drama in 1967, the Mary Tyler Moore Show won the award for Outstanding Comedy Series three times between 1975 and 1977, while Cheers series was the same category’s winner in 1991.
Loren Angelo, Audi USA marketing VP, says that the campaign represents the company’s original way to pay a real tribute to “the power and cultural influence of television,” and adds that they “ultimately decided that the best way to do this justice was to celebrate some of the breakthrough television shows through their recognizable theme songs, but with an Audi spin.”
The ads aired on TV ahead of the Emmys. Unfortunately, the spots are no longer available on TV, but the uncommon orchestra will continue to fascinate the online audience, with the videos being published on Audi’s YouTube channel.
Credits:
Client: Audi USA
Advertising Agency: Venables Bell & Partners