Audi Releases iPhone App.
Audi, notably the first OEM to do so, has come up with a media campaign surrounding an iPhone application, representing their 2009 A4 model.
The application comes in the form of a game called the “Audi A4 Challenge” and by installing the application, iPhone users can drive the 2009 model, which doesn’t go on sale until September 2008. The application is a free download and if you don’t have an iPhone, you can play the Web version of the game here.
Jeri Ward, Audi’s general manager of marketing and strategy says, “I think our customers and potential customers are smart, tech savvy, and tend to use devices like iPhone”. Ward also says that the 2009 A4 campaign will be heavily digital media based.
What really makes this story interesting is the fact that we are seeing yet another traditional print advertiser engage in new media in a completely new way. Although Audi is the first to take advantage of the iPhone as a mind-share builder, it is guessed that other OEM’s won’t be too far behind, especially if Audi does not have an exclusivity deal.
