To celebrate the end of the summer season of classical music concerts, auto brand Audi has leveraged its legacy of design and engineering to strike a different note with its new campaign Engine Symphony by BBH.
The campaign translates the intricate sound of Audi’s RS models accelerating into sheet music.
The sound of Audi
This latest out of home campaign ditches the usual high-speed car shots for something far more subtle and sophisticated: musical scores.
The work zags against the well-worn rules of auto advertising as Audi celebrates its performance models by paying attention to the intricate and unseen details that lie beneath the surface.
For many Audi owners, the sensory driving experiences of driving a car – especially the sound of a high-end performance engine being revved – are emotionally much more resonant and are the reason why these audiences choose a brand like Audi.
The end of the classical festival season felt like the perfect moment to bring this insight to life creatively. Each DOOH screen displays a meticulously crafted musical score titled by the car’s horsepower and sub-headed with the model of the car, to engage the classical music aficionados headed to the last orchestral events of the summer.
For Audi and BBH, the accuracy of the creative was of the utmost importance, which is why we enlisted the help of the composer Ben Parry.
He listened and studied the sounds of the RS models hundreds of times over to transcribe every single sound as accurately as possible in musical notation.
This helped him create music sheets unique to each model with incredible detail and delicate nuance, something the audience will really appreciate. For those with an eye for sheet music, the creative can be played.
By presenting the sound of the car as a classical composition, Audi creatively showcases a commitment to emotion-led design and craftsmanship in a way that feels both timeless and forward-thinking, encouraging customers to appreciate a new form of sensory engagement.
Sound is vital and transformational to the driving experience and with a nod to its own heritage, Audi and BBH are re-imagining what Vorsprung durch Technik sounds like.
“The roar of a sports engine is music to a petrol head’s ear”, said Felipe Guimaraes at BBH.
“Delivered through beautiful design, a tactical OOH campaign, classic Audi at its best”.
Media was handled by PHD.