2018 Audi RS5 Coupe
German automaker Audi is pioneering the auto marketing world by taking on a lesser used social media channel, Reddit, with a special new series.
On the message board-like social media platform, Audi will be establishing a new series it is has dubbed “the world’s fattest AMA,” which stands for “Ask Me Anything.” The series will feature interviews with guests while they are strapped into the passenger seat of a 2018 TT RS as it is driven around Willow Springs Raceway.
“‘Think Faster’ in collaboration with Reddit brings several ‘firsts’ to both our brand and the innovative social platform,” said Loren Angelo, Vice President, Marketing, Audi of America. “By live streaming AMAs, our fans will experience every exhilarating twist and turn the TT RS takes, and see our guests’ reactions in real-time, as their most burning questions are answered. It’s an AMA unlike any other."
Audi on Reddit
Audi will be sharing a special interview segment named, “Think Faster.”
Launching on Sept. 27, the segment will be asking individuals of importance questions as they speed around a racing track.
AMAs are popular segments on Reddit in which famous celebrities or well-known persons will designate a period of time to answering questions posed by users on the site. Audi will be doing this with various celebrities but in a unique manner, hoping to grab the attention of users.
It will kick off with two interviews released on the same day. First, actor Adam Scott will be strapped in and will answer user-submitted questions at 11am PST followed by actress Elizabeth Banks at 2pm PST.
Audi says the show will be live and the TT RS will hit speeds of up to 130 miles per hour.
The brand has even created a Facebook event page to hype up its release, as well as a trailer on YouTube. Audi is encouraging users to submit questions the day of the interviews.
Audi’s trailer gives a preview of a course, showing an Audi vehicle driving through the track in the dessert as animals scatter.
A series of other image content is being shared on social media, resembling film posters to hype up the online event.
Audi's image for its Reddit AMA
Brands and Reddit
Luxury brands are rarely found with a presence on Reddit, but they are not non-existent.
A few brands in the past have taken on similar strategies to Audi, participating in AMAs on the site.
For instance, Swiss watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre responded to the growing need for transparency in luxury with an Ask Me Anything Session on Reddit.
On Dec. 6 last year, CEO Daniel Riedo joined the message board platform on the self-titled “front page of the Internet,” answering users’ questions about everything from running the brand to his personal preferences in watches. While not a social network that many luxury brands have embraced, Reddit has an established community of watch enthusiasts who gather in a subreddit on the topic, giving Jaeger-LeCoultre a built-in audience for its event (see more).
Department store chain Nordstrom was originally among the first luxury brands to create its own Reddit username and community a few years ago as well.
The social media platform creates a space for individuals to hold discussions and vote upon topics. Nordstrom created a Reddit likely to create consumer interaction beyond Facebook likes, tweets and Instagram photos, and the nature of Reddit allows the brand to hold conversations with its consumers about directed topics (see more).
“Reddit is the only platform on the planet with such broad reach, powerful interest targeting, and authentic brand conversation through creative activations that genuinely delight a brand’s target consumers,” said Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. "Reddit's iconic ‘Ask Me Anything’ format has never been experienced like this. Adam Scott and Elizabeth Banks will be answering user questions in some of the most intense scenarios we've seen for these actors. We can't wait to see how these AMAs will turn out."