Male Opps: Audi loses CMO amid digital spend increase (Score 52)
Sales Lead: Audi is now in search of a new CMO due to the departure of Tara Rush.
- I hope Audi doesn't... Rush too much with a new hire; we will keep you updated, of course.
- Rush has not yet announced her next steps.
- Audi hired her in April 2019 as chief communications officer and promoted her to CMO in November 2020.
- During her tenure at Audi, Rush led the US creative agency assignment shift to AOR Ogilvy in May 2022.
- Ogilvy took over from Venables Bell & Partners, which had won the account 15 years prior.
- For now, the company's marketing will be led by brand strategy director Jessica Miller and brand channel marketing director Maggie Mohiuddin.
- This shift comes ahead of a slew of new vehicle launches in the US.
- In 2024, Audi will introduce vehicles such as the A5 sedan, the Avant wagon, the new A5 Sportback, and the new A7.
- The company will launch 20 new models by 2025 worldwide; this will include more than ten electric vehicles (EVs).
- CEO Markus Duesmann referred to these upcoming launches as Audi's "biggest product initiative" so far.
- The company will likely:
- Need additional marketing assistance in her absence
- Shift strategy and spend
- I also expect Audi to start establishing more brand partnerships and bolstering experiential efforts under a new DM, Bryan Fitzgibbon.
- Fitzgibbon joined the automaker in May 2023 as the manager of its brand partnerships and experiences.
- Conduct agency reviews, especially once it finds a new CMO.
- Target demographic:
- Gen-Z and millennials with a strong male skew
Additional spending insights:
- Broadcast insights (TV ad creative spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)
- YTD spend: So far this year, Audi has spent approximately $18.9m on national TV commercials, down 6% from the approximately $20.2m spent within the same 2022 timeframe.
- Last year: The company spent around $43m on this channel in 2022 after having spent 26% more, around $54m, in 2021.
- 2023 ad programming: Audi's 2022 commercials have targeted male sports enthusiasts watching shows such as NBA Basketball, NHL Hockey, MLB Baseball, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and Shark Tank.
- Digital and social insights (digital ad spend, effectiveness, impressions, and performance)
- YTD spend: The automaker has allocated roughly $3.3m toward digital ads YTD, up 10% from the roughly $3m allocated by this point last year.
- YTD data: Since the beginning of 2023, Audi has earned about 372.4m digital impressions, 39% via YouTube ads, 34% via Facebook ads, 25% via Instagram ads, and 2% via desktop display ads.
- Last year: The company's estimated full-year 2022 spend decreased by 40% to $7.5m from that of $12.4m in 2021.
- Additional channel insights
- The company utilizes Google Ads along with print, radio, OOH, digital, local broadcast, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and online video (via Youtube Android, Youtube IOS, and Youtube.com) ads.
- Audi sponsors podcasts such as The Daily, The Ben Shapiro Show, NPR News Now, The Glenn Beck Program, and Dateline NBC.
- Audi has also been establishing and expanding various sponsorships (example here).
- Finally, the company invests in short-form DRTV ads.
- It has incredibly highly concentrated network TV coverage and will not likely launch a new campaign soon.
Additional agency insights:
- Opportunity: A new CMO may seek new agency partners for Audi, so get in touch soon to be top-of-mind.
- Current agency roster:
- Ogilvy: Creative AOR (May 2022)
- PHD USA: Media AOR
- Endeavor - Chicago: Experiential AOR (February 2019)
- Team Epiphany: PR and multicultural agency partner
- Fast Horse: PR agency partner
- The Designory: Digital agency partner (May 2019)
Insight Sources: Broadcast insights estimated by iSpot; digital spend insights estimated by Pathmatics; additional channel insights estimated by Vivvix; podcast insights by Podchaser; DRTV insights by Media Analytics.
