The new global Audi campaign for the first RS model, featuring a modular high-performance plug-in hybrid system, draws upon one of the most iconic moments in music history – a metaphor for the courage to rethink the familiar, even in the face of resistance.
Newport, 1965. Bob Dylan took to the stage at the Newport Folk Festival – playing an electric guitar for the first time instead of his acoustic. It was a moment that divided the audience and is now considered a turning point in modern music history.
Audi and thjnk are now using this moment as a reference for the new Audi RS 5 and the much-debated move to bring the first RS model with a high-performance plug-in hybrid system to market.
At the heart of the campaign is a film that stages Dylan’s legendary performance as a metaphor for a turning point in RS history. Original footage and music by Bob Dylan are combined with scenes shot on analogue film, later digitised, and high-quality shots of the new Audi RS 5 Avant.
With meticulous attention to detail, the film translates the atmosphere of Newport into the present day: from set design, casting, and sound to the visual language. The result is a campaign that connects the pioneering spirit of a music icon with a new chapter in the Audi RS range.
Audi RS 5 Avant
Marco Schubert, Member of the Board of Management for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG: “The new Audi RS 5 enables handling at a completely new level – courageous, controlled at the limit, electrified, and full of passion. Our campaign makes this new departure tangible and features a performance everyone is talking about.”
Daniel Gassner, Creative Director thjnk Hamburg: “As a creative, this project felt like a dream. A cool product, a brand with the courage to implement such an idea. And then there’s Bob Dylan.”
Roman Geoffrey Lukowski, Executive Creative Director thjnk Hamburg, adds: “Added to that was the tremendous challenge of authentically bringing such an iconic moment from the past to life, while simultaneously unfolding the greatest possible emotional power dramatically.”
Armin Jochum, CEO and CO-Founder thjnk Germany: “We’ve been a proud partner alongside Audi for many years now. This isn’t just a new film – it’s a declaration of love for a brand that has consistently reinvented itself and an entire category.”
Accompanied by a communication package primarily focused on online and social media, the campaign delivers a clear message: RS like never before.
