Auto manufacturer Audi is using mobile advertising to let current owners pay their bills via banner ads that integrate with the company’s mobile site.

Audi is running  mobile ads for the company’s new A6 model that incorporate location, video and interactive features about the car. Audi worked with agency AKQA on this campaign.

“This particular group the campaign is targeting accesses the mobile Web regularly,” said Tina Unterlaender, account director of mobile at AKQA, San Francisco.

Drive-home message
The Audi ads remain stationary as users scroll down the mobile site, making the Audi placement continually visible and prominent to consumers.

Once clicked on, the ads take consumers to a mobile landing page with a mini version of Audi’s mobile site.

Consumers can also watch a television ad to learn more about the A6 model.

The mobile landing page is divided into five sections – homepage, models, dealers, owners and a section with additional information.

Although the banner ads particularly highlight Audi’s A6 car, the mobile ad showcases the company’s other line of cars as well.

Consumers can tap on the cars to learn more information about the vehicles, including an overview and features.

Users can swipe through car galleries to see additional photos.

The ads also integrate the smartphone’s GPS feature and helps users find the nearest dealership location.

Here is the page that lets consumers make payments

This helps drive traffic and users can sign up to test drive an A6 model.

“The goal of the ads are to highlight the quattro and Google Earth technology in the cars to give consumers a feel for the car and what Audi stands for,” Ms. Unterlaender said.

“Car consumers in the market to buy a car typically go through a six-month research period, so they want to touch, see and feel the car in action, and we know consumers have their mobile devices on them while they are out and about,” she said.

Current Audi owners can also use the mobile ads to contact roadside assistance with a click-to-call function.

Users interested in the company’s roadside assistance program can also download Audi’s mobile applications directly from the ads.

Additionally, the ads tie in with email by letting consumers contact Audi.

Mini mobile
By running mobile ads, Audi is able to bolster already existent mobile initiatives, including the company’s new mobile-optimized Web site.

Audi recently launched a mobile site in the United States to drive users to dealerships.

Using mobile ads to drive to auto dealerships is a popular marketing trend that many automakers are using.

For luxury car manufacturers specifically, mobile ads let consumers interact more with a brand by signing up to test drive a car.

“It makes sense to promote a specific model in an ad because mobile already has a limited amount of time attached to it,” said Tom Limongello, vice president of marketing at Crisp Media, New York.

Mr. Limongello is not affiliated with Audi. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

“As an automaker, you want to curate the experience as much as possible for mobile consumers and test how far a consumer will go from there,” Mr. Limongello said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York