Audi illuminates interactive print ad to entice AmEx Platinum members

Dive Brief:

Audi is running a print campaign that simulates the features of its new Audi A8 model, a news release announced. The user-activated ads appear in the November/December issue of Departures, the Meredith Corp.-published magazine targeted at American Express Platinum Card members.
The ads include a key fob that readers can use to animate organic light-emitting diode (OLED) taillights on the A8 when the page is opened for the first time. The lights can be activated by closing and reopening the page or with the key fob.
The ad will be distributed to 25,000 targeted readers of Departures. The campaign's technology was created by Structural Graphics to mimic the A8's lighting design animation and remote control key fob.

Dive Insight:

While many brands are shifting marketing focus away from print and toward digital, Audi is embracing a hyper-targeted approach with its latest campaign, attempting to tap into Departures' niche audience of potentially high-spending AmEx platinum members. Incorporating an interactive element into the ad serves to highlight specific vehicle features like the A8's OLED lights, which is an approach other automakers have recently adopted.

Toyota ran an interactive print ad promoting the 2018 Camry in the March issue of InStyle magazine. The foldout aimed to take consumers inside the car through elements of sight, sound, smell and touch. Readers could grab pop-out door handles, for example, and place their thumbs on sensors attached to them receive a simulated heart rate monitoring.

Despite an overall tough market for growth, print advertising retains appeal with audiences. Roughly one-quarter of surveyed consumers said they enjoy engaging with print magazine ads, according to Kantar Media's 2018 Dimension research. Almost two-thirds (62%) of respondents also reported advertisers are doing a better job of communicating with them overall.

Audi targeting AmEx Platinum Card members, who are luxury- and experience-focused, could show some returns for the brand. On the flip side, campaigns like this can also help bolster print magazines, which have been looking for ways to bring value to readers through unique brand partnerships. Print magazine ad sales were estimated to have dropped 13% last year, according to Magna, with similar projected declines for 2018.