72andSunny | Audi channels ‘Frozen’ in defiant Super Bowl ad touting environmentalism

‘Game of Thrones’ actress Maisie Williams remakes ‘Let it Go’ in ad that plugs electric cars while denouncing gas-guzzlers

Audi is once again using its Super Bowl ad to plug its electric vehicles. But this time the luxury auto brand is taking a more defiant tone with a spot featuring “Game of Thrones” actress and environmental activist Maisie Williams.

The ad, by 72andSunny Amsterdam, shows Williams stuck in traffic. She bursts into song with a remake of “Let it Go” from Disney’s “Frozen” which, in the ad, is portrayed to be an environmental anthem and a rebuke of gas-guzzling cars. She breaks free into the open road, passing by a gas station that is closing down which, in the context of the ad, is meant to signal progress.

As with all automakers, Audi depends heavily on the sale of gas-powered cars, but has invested in electric cars amid global environmental regulations that target combustion engines. Audi plans to introduce 30 electrified models by 2025. The Super Bowl ad plugs Audi’s so-called “e-tron” series of vehicles. The automaker also touted e-tron with last year’s Big Game ad by Venables Bell & Partners. But that spot took a humorous approach, featuring a man having futuristic vision after choking on a cashew at work.

This year’s spot leans more into environmentalism, ending with the line “lets drive to a more sustainable future.” It is also more targeted at a global audience than last year’s ad. In addition to running in the Super Bowl in the U.S., the ad will run on TV and social media in Germany, Italy, France, U.K., Spain and China. It marks the start of a global campaign awarded to 72&Sunny late last year.

Audi, in a press release, noted that Williams recorded the “Let it Go” remake at the famed Abbey Road Studios in London. The new version, Audi stated, is a “more defiant take on a song that took the world by storm, but still showcases that transformation always starts with letting go of something old to create something new. In this case, moving toward a more sustainable future.”

Williams played Arya Stark in “Game of Thrones,” the HBO hit that concluded its run last year. Her environmental activism includes speaking out against the killing and capture of dolphins.

Sven Schuwirth, who oversees digital and customer experiences for Audi, in the press release described Williams as “the perfect representative of how consumers are increasingly choosing, and advocating for, transportation options that are more sustainable. As a creative innovator, she perfectly embodies millions of peoples’ desires to make the transition to an electric future.”

Source: Ad Age