Audi SA embraces the digital era

“For Audi, Vorsprung goes much deeper than our cars,” said Rudi Venter, Marketing and Communications Manager for Audi SA. “It is in the way we speak to our customers, interact with them, and try to excite them with new and innovative ideas.

“By introducing these new on-line facilities our customers and brand supporters have access to the latest in innovation, be it Audi TV or our new customer relationship platform called Foresight,” he said.

The four new on-line services are Audi TV, Foresight, myAudi and Audi Widget.

With the introduction of the new services Audi becomes the first car manufacturer to transmit its own dedicated 24-hour television channel in South Africa.

Viewers are offered a wide range of “exciting and informative reports” from the fields of culture, sport, lifestyle and technology, as well as Audi's own magazine programmes.

"We regard Audi TV as an innovative communications channel that operates like a TV channel but which also reflects the merging of traditional TV broadcasting with the internet.

"This mix of unconventionally-produced brand, technology and lifestyle topics makes the schedule very attractive. The range of topics we cover is broad enough to ensure that every viewer will find something to enjoy in the world of Audi," said Liane Scheinert, Head of Audi TV.

To find it go to http://www.audi.co.za

Foresight is a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) programme for one-to-one customer discussions, with myAudi as the main thrust.

myAudi is for the exclusive use of Audi customers and provides access to information and services pertaining specifically to themselves and their Audi's. “The main purpose is to drive the concept of individualism amongst our customers,” a spokesman said.

"We have identified the five different phases of each customer's journey with Audi. They are purchase, honeymoon, marriage, in-market and repurchase. Depending on where you are in the lifecycle you will receive personalised information related to that specific phase. The content is customized to ensure it meets the needs of each individual according to their preferences," he said.

The Audi widget is a desktop tool that allows information from the web to be automatically uploaded and displayed directly onto a computer.

Combining a series of everyday online necessities into one ergonomic tool, it provides up-to-date weather forecasts, time, date, foreign exchange rates and the latest Audi news.

To download the Audi widget go to: http://www.audi.co.za/experience/multimedia

Audi has also done an extensive revamp of its website to make it much more interactive and user friendly. To visit, go to: http://www.audi.co.za/auditv/