Someone on Audi’s Marketing Team Deserves A Raise
Audi: 1, Wheel of Fortune: 0
It only took luxury carmaker, Audi, a mere 24 hours to right a wrong on Charlene Rubush’s behalf — and create a unique marketing opportunity for itself in the same vein.
Toward the end of an episode of Wheel of Fortune that aired on Dec. 21, Rubush had successfully made it to the bonus round, during which she had the chance to attempt to solve one final puzzle. Unbeknownst to Rubush at the time, an Audi Q3 SUV was at stake.
Spoiler alert: The correct phrase to solve the puzzle was “Choosing the right word.” Rubush ultimately solved correctly and within the show’s required 10-second time limit but paused a bit: “Choosing the right… … word!”
Host Pat Sajak was quick to deliver the bad news, that Rubush had lost due to the technicality. “This one’s tough because you said all the right words…but, as you know, it’s got to be more or less continuous,” he said. “We’ll allow for a little pause, but not four or five seconds.”
Many saw Rubush’s loss as a great miscarriage of justice. So they did what we all do when there is a sense of collective frustration: They took to social media.
Jeopardy! All-Star Alex Jacob tweeted the clip of Rubush solving the puzzle, and #GiveHerTheQ3 was trending soon after.
The marketing geniuses at Audi quickly got to work. Less than a day after Jacob’s tweet went live, Audi USA posted this from its Twitter account:
News reports began flooding in, with a senior executive confirming the company’s decision to present Rubush with a brand-new Audi Q3.
From a marketing perspective, Wheel of Fortune’s loss was Audi’s gain.
It was clear from the uproar on social media that the carmaker had become part of the conversation, and the pressure to act was real. By deciding to engage with the online community using #GiveHerTheQ3, the brand did just that — in a very public way.
This will only serve to benefit Audi in the long run, while Wheel of Fortune producers are likely to continue receiving criticism.
For the luxury automobile company, the event appears to have resulted in increased brand recognition and positive brand associations; some replies to #GiveHerTheQ3 read…
- “Classy move by Audi!”
- “Nice job, Audi.”
- “Major props to Audi on this one.”
- “Audi shows us all what a great and caring company can do.”
- “That’s why we love Audi.”
Beyond that are the high levels of earned media coverage referencing Audi’s move, from CBS News, Entertainment Weekly, CNN, USA TODAY, TMZ, and even automobile trade publications.
The key result for Audi is that the public now tends to associate the brand with doing the right thing and being charitable. This positive outcome would not have been possible without a witty, socially aware, quick-thinking marketing team willing to boldly take advantage of an opportunity.
In the end, Rubush will receive a brand-new car. The cost to Audi will be nominal compared to all that it’s gained in brand equity.
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