The Audi brand has a story to tell – maybe now more so than ever. Developments such as smart cities, electrification, autonomous driving and artificial intelligence – and the ways in which Audi will be dealing with these advancements in the future – need to be conveyed to our customers and readers. The Audi Magazine provides this platform, increases brand awareness, and continuously reconfirms customer enthusiasm for the brand.
Since the first issue was published in 2000, the Audi Magazine has gone on to become the longest running in-house publication in the Australia. It was first produced as a print publication, then also with an iPad version, and now exists exclusively as an online platform. As the Audi brand has grown in Australia, so too has the company’s own publication, notching up 55 print editions with a print run that at its height was in excess of 80,000 copies per issue.
From the outset, Audi Magazine took a very different approach to the other corporate automotive titles that existed at the time, in that is was never just a local reprint of an overseas ‘parent title’, or a section of local Australian news shoehorned into a largely overseas publication. Rather our Audi Magazine was produced in Australia specifically for the Australian market, able to draw on the photographic and technical resources of AUDI AG but with Australian journalists, photographers and designers all working to give the publication a uniquely Australian feel.
Going digital
First launched late in 2015, the online version of Audi Magazine has gone from strength to strength. In 2018 I took over responsibility for the magazine as it went entirely digital, and led a full redevelopment of the website and digital marketing approach. The new site not only features a more user-friendly and modern design, but also enhances publishing capabilities and was developed with SEO in mind from the outset.
At the same time we launched the new website, we also redesigned the monthly eDM communications, implemented a SEM strategy, increased our social media support across multiple channels, and further integrated the magazine into the brands master website. Among a raft of other positive metrics, year-on-year we have seen an incredible 140% increase in users visiting the site, with this number set to grow in 2020.
One day I’d love to re-introduce an annual print edition – something to sit on the coffee tables of Audi customers around the country – but for now, there’s no denying the success of the ever-evolving Audi Magazine in its current format.
For your daily-dose of the Audi lifestyle, head to https://magazine.audi.com.au.
