Audi's getting vicious!

Damnnn Audi...there are some new Audi spots that take jabs directly at competitors like BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes. I always thought Audi took the high road and left competing brands out of their advertising, but that has not been the case recently.

The naming of competitors, showing competitors' cars in the ad, and making the claim of superiority are all things Audi has been doing in their ads which really surprised me. Part of the surprise is that Audi is not a brand you associate as needing to make those claims of "We're better than you" or taking cheap shots at the competitor, and this recent behavior is leaving a bad taste in my mouth about the brand. Perhaps Audi sees the need to use their superiority claims as a way of asserting themselves in the marketplace and establishing themselves as a forerunner of luxury vehicles, just like the trifecta of BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes.

Still, I think a part of Audi's brand image and identity resided in the fact that they are different from any of those three brands; Audi, like Infiniti or Cadillac, is clearly a luxury auto maker but are more exotic, perhaps even more sophisticated because of their previous humility as an advertiser.

As much as I was a fan of the Audi "Green Police" ad at this year's Super Bowl, I can't help but wonder if that was the first step in the disintegrating sophistication of Audi ads to come. Since the 2010 Super Bowl, Audi has continued to put out spots that lack the conservative reserve I want so badly to be put back in Audi ads. The Audi brand is not supposed to be one that stoops to the level of competitor comparisons, especially when done with such frankness. I hope this is just a temporary strategy to capitalize on whatever car awards they were given and is not going to be a permanent change of pace for Audi.

So, these are the ads I am talking about: