Audi + Penguin Random House - "Handbook Novels"

This iniciative has achieved a 44% participation rate and has generated more than 85,000 queries to this document. It has also achieved an average browsing time of 24 minutes by readers and an average of 4 queries to the manual per user.

Audi's innovative campaign for International Book Day has achieved unprecedented success. Under the title "Handbook Novels" and with the collaboration of Ogilvy Spain, the car brand has managed to get thousands of users to open the Audi instruction manual, achieving more than 85,000 consultations of this essential book for the safety and enjoyment of the vehicle, but which is often forgotten.

The campaign, developed in collaboration with the publishing house Penguin Random House and carried out by Ogilvy, has achieved a 44% participation rate and an average browsing time of 24 minutes by readers, with a total of 4 queries to the manual per reading session.

"Understanding a manual is important: it helps you enjoy your car more and drive it more safely. But to break the barrier that makes no one open it, we needed to approach it in a very different way. We got people to get to know their car better with stories that transport us to another century, with trips to space or with disturbing thrillers", says Willy Gutiérrez, Copywriter at Ogilvy.

The manual of a lifetime, rethought as never before 

For the project, seven brave authors have dared to take on a not easy challenge: to write stories using some of the key words in the manual. And not only that: they have also placed them on the same page, line, and position. And so, through novelasdemanual.es/novelasdemanual.es/?mode=el (depending on the vehicle model), users can jump from the stories to the manual just by clicking on these key concepts. 

In addition, some chapters are customised according to the Audi model, to suit the specifics of each manual. "We know that Audi users value creativity, especially at special times of the year, but they value personalisation even more and the certainty that the ideas are designed for each of them", adds Willy Gutiérrez. 

To learn about cars, you don't always have to talk about cars

Except for the keywords, the authors had absolute creative freedom, which gave rise to very different and original stories that, in some cases, had nothing to do with the automotive sector:

"Las mudanzas", written by Miqui Otero, shows us that behind such a tedious activity as a move, a delightful story can be hidden. "Noche de paz", by Carla Montero, takes us to a story based on real events set in World War II. In "El día en que murió Alicia Sabater", by Arantza Portabales, we discover what happened on the day of the death of its protagonist. Júlia Peró immerses us in "María, María, María" in a cab ride that hides a captivating story. Emma Lira, in "Última noche en Palmira", mixes reality and fiction in a conflict between the Roman Empire and the East. In "Inventario de sueños", Francesc Miralles offers us an edifying story to learn secrets about oneself. And “Cuándo dejamos de querernos” by Miguel Gane, proposes a fascinating journey to rediscover love.

"My idea is to put myself in the reader's shoes and think, what would I like to read if I received a communication from Audi for Book Day? In this case, I would like to think that I am not reading anything about cars and realise that I am learning about cars", explained Emma Lira, reflecting on the project's approach. "The initiative is very interesting because it means giving a new life and a new format to the manual," explained Miguel Gane.

One more year betting on literary creativity

For the fourth consecutive time, Audi and Ogilvy have joined forces to carry out an action related to literature. In 2021 and 2022, they surprised us with Audi Future Books, a collection of stories that were yet to be written. In 2023, with Extraordinary Reports, they turned real Audi Customer Service cases into exciting stories. And this year, they have shown us that, with an original approach and a brand purpose, it is possible to turn a serious and technical reading, such as the manual, into an exciting activity.

An initiative that highlights Audi's commitment to the promotion of culture and offers us an original and surprising way to learn more about their vehicles.