Audi's new TV commercial takes a pointless shot at environmentalists
Filed under: Energy, Economy, Media
In the slog toward greener transportation, cars may be headed in the (approximately, generally) right direction. But even efficient cars still pollute, in the same way that cigarettes with filters and low tar are still carcinogenic. They're better, but not a clean slate by any means. What do you do when your product category is vastly more expensive, and inherently more destructive to the environment, than the alternatives?For German carmaker Audi, the answer is clear: recast the conversation. Instead of contrasting Audi against bicycling, public transportation, and (ridiculously) the Segway in terms of cost and environmental impact, Audi contrasts them based on fun.
In a TV spot launched this week, Audi depicts a tired-looking man being jostled on the city bus; a clumsy bicyclist in the pouring rain, a sad helmeted man struggling through sidewalk traffic on a Segway -- and a sluggish Volvo, "powered by vegetable oil," getting passed by an Audi A3. "Many people are trying to do their part," says the voiceover. "Some just have more fun doing it." The spot advertises the car's "clean diesel" -- which is, as Autoblog points out, generally far cleaner than the car's advertised rating (42 mpg highway, 34 mpg combined).
Compared with other cars, the Audi A3 shines. So why denigrate those who, by all appearances, are passionately and often inconveniently working to "do their part" of bettering the planet? Some of whom may actually consider an Audi A3 the car to fill in the gaps between bike rides and bus commutes?
Belittling bicyclists won't convince them to trot to the dealership for an Audi -- it'll just anger people like Elly Blue and the rest of the BikePortland staff in Oregon. Belittling those who, out of financial or environmental concerns, ride a crowded bus in the morning -- especially those of various ethnic groups depicted on the bus (for shame, Audi) -- won't simultaneously increase their disposable income so they can afford a shiny new car.
"It's actually a very relevant point to make in critiquing this ad that people often don't have many transportation options beyond driving," Blue notes. "This ad is fascinating in that it takes for granted the myth that the only factor in what mode you use is your personal choice -- what you think is 'fun' or 'green.' Never mind the extra lane added to the highway, or the complete lack of bike-friendly route, or inadequate bus service. A lot of our daily transportation choices aren't really all that free, and the context is full of subsidy, lobbying, policy, and money that tilts the scales heavily towards cars and infrastructure that limits all other kinds of mobility."
And why does Audi compare a pretty, efficient car to modes of transportation like the emission-free bicycle? Is it out of carmakers' concern that bicycling is on the rise? Is it a disconcerting effort to influence policymakers to give their constituents more opportunity for "fun" instead of sensible, environmentally friendly public infrastructure?
It's sad, and as a marketing strategy, it's a bit bewildering. The car could by all appearances compare well against competing cars. So why ridicule other modes of transport -- and with it, those who use them each day, by choice or circumstance?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
9-30-2009 @ 3:56PM
Steve said...
I'm sick and tired of both "environmentalists" and cyclists, with their holier-than-thou attitudes. That about sums it up in a nutshell.
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9-30-2009 @ 11:13PM
Sarah said...
The majority of bicyclists I know (those who do it both for pleasure and for environmental reasons) don't have this "holier than thou" attitude you speak of. In fact, I can't think of a single one who does. They bike to save money, and to get in some exercise in an otherwise congested day.
Truly get to know some of those bicyclists and environmentalists before you criticize them. Not surface level conversation...you'll be clouded by your own judgment. Make an effort, and you might be surprised.
Or not. That choice is entirely up to you.
10-01-2009 @ 3:16AM
coolbreeze said...
ste, do you really think anyone cares you're sick and tired. do you really think that?
9-30-2009 @ 4:10PM
Al said...
Well, I believe Audi is being truthful rather than funny, any one that believes they are helping the enviornment by riding a bicycle in the rain is deranged by self importance, and the general belief that man can alter the enviroment is reality
challenged..
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9-30-2009 @ 4:15PM
Jonathan said...
Audi, in my opinion, is doing very wise commercials. The stupidity of people even believing that we can have this large an effect on climate change cannot back it up with ANY scientic evidence. Anyone who has half a brain can look up the facts and will not be able to sustain their positions on the subject. They believe that it's better not to read and keep believing the stuff being handed down from the ignorant one.
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9-30-2009 @ 11:39PM
mfs3344 said...
IPCC.ch. Check it out. "ANY" scientific evidence? This is a panel of thousands of the world's most accomplished climatologists. Something tells me they know a little bit more than you and I. Their near universal conclusion? Climate change is caused, or greatly accelerated, by human activity. Educate yourself.
9-30-2009 @ 4:39PM
Alessandro Machi said...
Wow, this is a great point your article is making. It reminds of how conspiracies operate.
"Oh alright" the behind the scene insane billionaires chortle, "you can have your greener car, just as long as you "take out" other forms of green transportation."
It is a very insidious way of creating competition among forms of energy transportation that don't even compete with each other. And this type of eco competitive advertising is very harmful, because it makes others who don't have an Audi but are driving a gas guzzling polluting car still feel smugly superior to those on a Segway.
http://www.dailypuma.com
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9-30-2009 @ 4:46PM
dan said...
Audi's ad, did exactly what it was intended for: we are talking about Audi! It's a commercial people, get over it.
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9-30-2009 @ 8:16PM
mesaman said...
Sarah; It's morning, you can wake up now. Audi undoubtedly concluded that bike riders are not known for generosity or lavish spending. In fact, the opposite, these smug, arrogant twits are so cheap they would be the ones driving the vegetable oil powered Volvo. Audi has created an exciting car that can achieve 40 mpg. What have you done to go green?
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9-30-2009 @ 8:29PM
watdafuk said...
Eco-tards are funny.
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9-30-2009 @ 8:34PM
Ricardo said...
The IPCC is a panal of scientist (more than a thousand in number) who have concluded that climate change is due to human impact. If you think carbon emitions does not have an impact on the carbon cycle then you need to pick up a few books. If you think people should be consuming more resources by buying new cars (fossil fuels to build, water to act as coolant in nuclear power plants, metals and the cost of extracting those metals, the cost and pollution producing when making the paints and plastics for these cars) instead of taking a bus, carpooling, or even riding a bike; you are selfish. You do not think about future generations. But theres hope, here are some documentaries you can watch: FLOW, A CONVENIENT truth, and Water's Journey: Everglades. For every mile that you drive you produce one pound of emissions (@ 20mpg).
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9-30-2009 @ 10:01PM
Joe Papierz Jr said...
So the panel of scientists concluded that climate change is a result of human endeavor. What is their conclusion about all the other climate changes over the past few million years or so? Can we blame those changes on humans too?
9-30-2009 @ 11:07PM
mthudak said...
Well said. Thank you for your articulate, intelligent point. I was reading the responses of these idiots with their heads up their butts, and wanted to respond, but you did it better than I would have done.
9-30-2009 @ 8:41PM
Cheri said...
Since this has to do with Portland and bikes here is a comment from a Portland area person. Elly, get out of town. Never met you personally, but many obnoxious Pearl District people like you. Sick of your attitudes and your bikes and your one-day-away-from-being-a-pedophile mayor and the Max train that "only" 30% of the riders don't pay to be on and the people who don't want a paper bag because they are "saving a tree." If you want to move here and be like Elly - don't. Stay where you are. If you want to drive an Audi to downtown Portland come on in.
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9-30-2009 @ 9:24PM
alschrod said...
I would love owning an Audi--if only I could afford it! Right now I'd like to know who the genius ad-man is that came up with a bonehead idea like here. As long as personal transportation fouls the air or water, uses natural resources that could better be applied elsewhere, and is a danger to others, poking fun at walkers and bike-riders is a no-no. Consuming more than others just because you have the money to do it is selfish and egotistical.
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10-01-2009 @ 4:18AM
pam said...
You can probably meet that particular ad man in the unemployment line. Didn't you hear the THUNK of heads rolling?
9-30-2009 @ 8:46PM
Lita said...
Portland, Oregon has a reputation of being the most bicycle-friendly city in the U.S. Here, the cyclists are getting their own bicycle lanes. (Why, there are three different kinds in downtown Portland alone, it that's not confusing enough). They are now allowed on the transit mall, along with light rail and buses--an accident waiting to happen. They want to be treated like everyone else, yet constantly run stop signs and object on the very rare occasion when they are ticketed. (Now they want a law to make this maneuver legal, if no traffic is coming because it expends too much energy to start up again from a dead start. I had no problem with that when I used to ride my bike all over the city. I always came to a full stop.) In two incidents, cyclists did something stupid that resulted in their deaths, and the cycling community was outraged. (How stupid are you to pull up on the right of a truck that is turning right?) They had a fit until one of the drivers was given a citation. Cars can be cited for holding up traffic, but bicycles cannot, according to an article that appeared in the paper a few months ago. Road improvements are coming, aided by the recent increase in auto registration fees by more than 50%. Any talk of licensing bicycle riders is shouted down, and the powers that be simply fold. They should pay for a license and be required to carry liability insurance, just like I do if I want to drive my car legally.
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9-30-2009 @ 8:53PM
bob said...
You know, I ride a bike and I'm not at all offended. Unlike Ed Begley, I don't ride for environmental reasons. I ride to keep my fat ass from getting any bigger so I can fit it into my old Mazda Miata which I drive for the sheer fun of it! Actually, bike riding is also a lot of fun, too. To hell with environmentalists! (And you Corvette and Porsche guys, don't lecture me about Miatas, I don't need a car or a motorcycle to give me the illusion of a bigger penis.)
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9-30-2009 @ 9:03PM
Chuck said...
I like my bicycle. No gas or oil, no license to drive or license plates, little or no insurance, no tune ups or other heavy buck maintenance, a little air in the tires and good to go year round for me. Just make sure you get a real bicycle with front and back fenders for those occasional puddles after a rainstorm.
The best part is you don't have to pay the ridiculous up front cost to buy a car or truck.
The money you save you can spend a few weeks on a cruise or the beach in Hawaii.
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10-01-2009 @ 9:40AM
Bernard said...
Chuck: way to go--I appreciate your attitude and comment. May your tribe increase.