Audi Canada has put Bensimon Byrne behind the wheel of its brand in Canada, naming the agency its strategic and creative lead following an RFP process.

Like the entire automotive industry, Audi is moving into a new age with new challenges, head of marketing Joseph Ottorino told The Message. During the review, Bensimon Byrne demonstrated that it really understood and articulated where Audi is today, and where it needs to go.

While the move toward electric vehicles is obviously a big part of that, it is also about how people interact with brands today, and the media they use for those interactions. “It felt like they understood it to the degree of having worked with us before,” said Ottorino who joined Audi late in 2021. “And they demonstrated a really deep understanding of the premium customer in Canada that we’re most interested in.”

The Audi creative account had previously been with Taxi, which remains the creative agency for Audi’s parent company Volkswagen through the bespoke agency Type1.

“Creativity is inherently collaborative,” said Lisa Good, managing director of Bensimon Byrne in a release. “The best partnerships are ones that evolve, and continuously strive for excellence. We share many values with the Audi Canada team. We’re both high-performing teams and we’re both inspired to tackle business challenges together, finding creative ways to bring the Audi brand to life for Canadians.”

With a new agency on board, Ottorino said that Audi intends to increase its marketing efforts and connect with more Canadians, while still being guided by its iconic “Vorsprung Durch Technik” (progress through technology) brand platform.

“We do have pretty big ambitions,” he said. “Our goal is definitely to be more present in the market, telling a much bigger robust story inspiring Canadians to progress with us.

“So that really is what you’ll see dialled up, and what Bensimon Byrne’s responsibilities will be with us—to tell Audi’s progress story in Canada in a relevant, authentic way that connects with Canadians, and the progress we need to make in our country.”