It's unfair, really. Long hip to the fact that their customers do heavy online research, the automotive industry makes web development a priority, leapfrogging virtually every other category in concept and execution. Even picking a few brands at random, recent new model launch sites from Toyota, Ford, VW, and yes, Audi have set the bar very, very high.
Which makes this PointRoll unit all the more disappointing. It's not that it's bad, exactly; in fact, compared to your average banner, it's quite decent. But the miss is that is that it doesn't really demonstrate anything. I choose road conditions and the car passively putts along the same path. oblivious. I'm not pulled into the Audi driving experience. I don't imagine myself at the wheel, loving my Audi's superior handling. I'm just bored.
Interface issues compound the problem. I was unable to figure out what the unlabeled slider at the bottom right actually did, and clicking the "?" (which suggests help, not info) brought back the opening animation.
In the end I was left mildly frustrated, teased by shallow interactivity, and with no deeper understanding of the car's benefits. I know how an Audi A8 should feel, and this banner just isn't up to that standard.
-- Doug Fitzsimmons, Creative Director, Tribal DDB Los Angeles
