Audi marks its eighth showing at the Super Bowl with a well-timed spot for the R8 coupe set to David Bowie’s 1972 single "Starman." The singer passed away last month at the age of 69.
An elderly man sits quietly in his chair, refusing food and musing about his younger days as an astronaut, meeting the president and traveling to the moon. His son helps him recapture a bit of that lost glory when he offers the keys to his Audi R8. For a moment, the man is his former self, and they speed off into the night as the music swells.
San Francisco-based Venables Bell & Partners created the 60-second spot, as well as an extended 90-second version with more night driving and music. The ad will run during the first quarter of the game.
The last time Audi featured the R8 in a Super Bowl spot was 2008 — the first year the brand advertised during the game — with a 60-second ad that recreated the iconic "horse head" scene from "The Godfather," with the car as the culprit. This year, Audi returns to the Super Bowl after sitting out the game last year.
Campaign credits
Client: Audi of America
Agency: Venables Bell & Partners
Executive Creative Director: Will McGinness
Senior Art Director: Rich North
Copywriters: Rus Chao, Paul Venables
Director of Integrated Production: Craig Allen
Agency Executive Producer: Mandi Holdorf
Production Company: MJZ
Director: Craig Gillespie
Director of Photography: Masanobu Takayangi
Executive Producer: Emma Wilcockson
Producer: Martha Davis
Editing Company: Final Cut Editorial
Editor: Rick Russell
Colorist: Stefan Sonnenfeld, CO3
Music Company: Agoraphone
Featured Song: "Starman" by David Bowie.
Music Supervisor: Dawn Sutter Madell
Sound Design: 740 Sound Design
Executive Producer: Scott Ganary
Sound Design Producer: Jeff Martin
Lead Sound Designers: Chris Pinkston, Rob Marshall:
Final Mix : Formosa
Mix Engineer: John Bolen
Visual Effects: The Mill
Visual Effects Producer: Ben Sposato
Visual Effects Supervisor: Gareth Parr
Head of Account Management: David Corns
Account Director: Chris Bergen
Account Supervisors: Ally Humpherys, Alexis Lovett
Account Managers: Oliver Glenn, Faire Davidson
Assistant Account Manager: Bri Jones
Project Manager: Talya Fisher
