Product placement in the film "I, ROBOT" a huge success: The Audi RSQ spurs on the brand's image ratings

Ingolstadt 2. 12. 2004 (PROTEXT/ots) -Product placement inthe film "I, ROBOT" a huge success: The Audi RSQ spurs on thebrand's image ratings

Audience of over 55 million has seen film and concept car todate

Surveys among US cinema-goers confirm image boost for AudiReports on the film car in over 40 countries

The product placement in the Hollywood blockbuster "I,ROBOT" starring Will Smith has proved a huge success for AUDIAG. The results of surveys conducted in the USA reveal that theAudi RSQ sports car study, which plays a major role in thescience fiction thriller, has given a substantial boost to theimage ratings of the brand with the four rings in the USA. "Thisplacement has reinforced the core values of the Audi brand in theUSA. Audi has gained considerable ground for criteria such asattractiveness, distinctiveness and affinity among those whohave seen "I, ROBOT" in the USA", commented Tim Miksche, who isresponsible for product placement at Audi.

The film has drawn a worldwide cinema audience of over 55million to date. This already puts it among the ten mostsuccessful films of the year. With Audi's support, the film evenopened in China at the end of November. The DVD of the boxoffice hit in addition went on sale internationally in December.

The objective of the placement project, namely to increasebrand awareness and raise the emotional appeal of the Audibrand, has been more than achieved. The Audi brand essence of"Vorsprung durch Technik" and the progressive nature of the brandhave been shored up by the futuristic genre and the innovativedesign of the RSQ car featuring in the film.

The concept car with the four-ring badge is visible for atotal of almost nine minutes in the film. Miksche is delightedby its impact: "The Audi RSQ achieves an enduring, recurringpresence in 'I, ROBOT', the vehicle is incorporated into thefilm's plot, there is interaction between the car and the humancharacters, and last but not least the car's high aestheticquality blends in well with the film world." These are allaspects that US audiences watching "I, ROBOT" have acknowledged:in a survey conducted in six American cities, they awarded thefilm car high ratings throughout. Over 95 percent of all cinema-goers considered that the Audi RSQ suits the film world of "I,ROBOT". Miksche continues: "This is not only welcome praise forAudi designers, but also highlights the fact that the design ofour premium brand is already looking well into the future."

"I, ROBOT" is also a success for Audi in press terms. Thefilm car has been covered in print and online media and intelevision and radio features in over 40 different countries.Internet search engines now produce anything up to 35,000 hitsfor the search term "Audi RSQ".

For the first time in the history of product placement, Audihad developed and built a vehicle explicitly for a Hollywoodblockbuster. Audi designers created a vehicle for the fictionalworld of the future of "I, ROBOT" in the year 2035. Theresulting Audi RSQ sports coupé is a visionary interpretation ofthe typically Audi design language. Importantly, the car had toremain recognisable as an Audi for all its extreme form.

AUDI AG Communication Corporate and Finance Eric Felber, Tel.+49 (0)841 89 90703, eric.felber@audi.de

Photos and information on product placement in "I, ROBOT" canbe found at www.audi- press.com under "Lifestyle" and ProductPlacement". User: aupr0049/password: 5ghj78

Subscribers please note that material bearing the slug"PROTEXT" is not part of CTK's news service and is not to bepublished under the "CTK" slug. Protext is a commercial serviceproviding distribution of press releases from clients, who areidentified in the text of Protext reports and who bear fullresponsibility for their contents. PROTEXT