In Shanghai Auto Show 2023, Audi wants to draw people’s attention onto Q5 e-tron, an electronic SUV equipped with e-quattro — a fast-response drive system that’s able to complete active torque distribution within 30 millisec-onds (0.03 seconds).

However, with the average attention span of viewers decreasing over time, and they used to skip commercials on social video platforms, it’s getting increasingly difficult to grab people’s attention. So we want to create a com-mercial that stands out from other electronic cars, grabbing attention as well as promote the unique selling point of Audi Q5 e-tron.

The target audience for this campaign is smart and tech-savvy audiences in China who are used to skipping commercials on social video platforms. They are curious, interested in innovative technologies, and willing to take on new challenges.

To showcase e-quattro’s unparalleled fast response, we decided to create a commercial as fast as 0.03 seconds— which is the same length for e-quattro to complete active torque distribution.

We collaborated with influencers on Douyin and Bilibili, then embedded our commercial into their videos, encouraging viewers to screenshot our commercial to win free auto show tickets.

So our commercial actually became a challenge, and changed the typical online commercial perception— from a nuisance that viewers skip and avoid into something worth stopping and sharing.

To create a commercial as short as 0.03 second, this film was created in 120 fps with only 3 frames, each showing Audi Q5 e-iron accelerating and drifting with the powerful e-quattro.

In the end of the commercial, we hid an invitation for attentive consumers to screenshot and redeem free Auto Show tickets. This 0.03-second clip was later embedded into KOL’s content, spreading our message over social platforms not only limited to automotive KOLs, but also KOLs from other categories, which helped to reach the target audience and generate social buzz in an organic and authentic way.

By creating a 0.03-sceond commercial, which matched the quick response time of Audi Q5 e-tron’s "e-quattro" system, this commercial successfully captured the attention of viewers who typically skip or ignore ads.

The conversion rate was 196 times higher than average online commercial. Within only one day, all tickets hid in our commercial were redeemed. Through this commercial, the booth of Audi Q5 e-tron becomes one of the most popular booths in Shanghai Auto Show 2023.

What's particularly impressive is that the success of the campaign was large-ly driven by consumers who generated user-generated content (UGC) across multiple social platforms, including those that weren't part of the original campaign. This organic amplification of the campaign helped to increase its reach and impact, resulting in even greater engagement and awareness of the Audi Q5 e-tron and its innovative features.