Story By Belinda Ollervides
A New Way to Experience Driving
When most automakers launch campaigns, the focus often lies on speed, sleek visuals, and futuristic technology. Audi, however, has taken a radically different approach with its latest collaboration with advertising agency BBH. Instead of showcasing its high-performance RS models racing along winding roads, Audi has chosen to spotlight the sounds of its engines, by turning them into music.
The campaign, titled Engine Symphony, aligns with the finale of the summer season of classical music concerts in the UK, offering a refreshing intersection between automotive engineering and the arts.
The Concept Behind Engine Symphony
Rather than relying on adrenaline-fueled imagery, the campaign replaces high-speed visuals with musical scores displayed on digital out-of-home screens. Each score bears the horsepower of the RS model as its title, with the car’s name as the subheading.
This creative approach deliberately targeted classical music enthusiasts attending end-of-summer orchestral performances, framing Audi not just as a carmaker, but as a curator of sensory experiences.
According to Audi, the campaign was designed to highlight “emotion-led design and craftsmanship,” encouraging audiences to think of cars not only as machines but also as instruments of performance and resonance.
From Engine Notes to Sheet Music
To bring authenticity to the project, Audi and BBH enlisted composer Ben Parry, who painstakingly studied the RS engines. Parry reportedly listened to each engine hundreds of times, carefully transcribing its distinct tonal patterns into musical notation.
Speaking about the process, Parry said, “Engines have their own rhythm and pitch. My goal was to respect those unique qualities while crafting something recognizable in classical form.”
The result is a set of scores that are as precise and distinctive as the vehicles themselves, melding engineering precision with musical artistry.
Resonance Beyond Driving
By reframing the roar of performance engines as classical compositions, Audi demonstrates its belief that driving is a multisensory experience. The resonance of an RS engine is more than a sound, it’s an emotional connection, a kind of music that reflects both precision engineering and human creativity.
In a world where electric vehicles and sustainability are reshaping the industry, Engine Symphony may also hint at how brands will preserve the identity of sound and sensation even as the automotive landscape evolves.
A Symphony That Lingers
Audi’s Engine Symphony doesn’t just promote cars, it asks audiences to listen differently. By merging performance with culture, it elevates driving into an art form and positions the RS models as instruments of human emotion, not just horsepower.
As the summer concert season ends, Audi leaves a lasting note: the road can be as much a stage as any concert hall.
