For the fourth consecutive year, Audi of America returned as the official automotive sponsor of the Television Academy for the 66th Primetime Emmy® Awards. To drive awareness of the sponsorship – including substantial views, earned media, organic awareness and social sharing – Audi created a comedic video featuring high-caliber talent and a buzz-worthy script. "Barely Legal Pawn" starred Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul as Buzz and Randy Jackson, seedy pawn shop owners. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, playing herself, drives to the shop to sell her "Seinfeld" Emmy to help pay for an island she mistakenly purchased after enjoying too much rosé. With "Barely Legal Pawn" Audi created a pop-culture moment that had the right talent and right story to reach millions during the Emmy Awards media blitz. In addition to having millions of fans and followers, all three actors were nominated for 2014 Emmy Awards, giving the video an added news hook. The video produced incredible results for the brand, most notably more than 8M YouTube views to date – all with zero paid distribution.
Sponsors of the Emmy Awards receive little earned media attention. The earned media conversation almost entirely centers on award show predictions/winners, fashion/beauty and celebrity gossip. In a crowded space where sponsors receive little organic buzz, how can a brand drive substantial earned media and measurable consumer engagement as part of a sponsorship (and without paid distribution)?
Strategy
Through humor and dialogue written specifically to engage and excite loyal fans, and with hidden references designed to evoke nostalgia for the beloved shows, we allowed viewers to instantly connect emotionally with the content. For fans, the video was one giant inside joke that they couldn't help but watch and share. The video subtly integrates the all-new 2015 Audi S3 Sedan as Louis-Dreyfus' car of choice.
At over six-minutes long, the video breaks conventional wisdom that content should be bite-sized; a bold move and a risk for the brand to take. Because of the compelling storyline and cast viewers did stick around. How do we know? At the end of the video, Aaron Paul delivers his famous one-liner "ya bitch," which became one of the most used hashtags upon release.
The video was hosted on the Television Academy's YouTube channel and released a week before the Emmy Awards telecast. To maximize engagement, we pitched the video wide to reporters, editors, bloggers, fans and influencers at online, print and broadcast outlets, and amplified it through Audi social channels.
Effectiveness and Results
Social highlights:
Earned media highlights
Added value:
