Hasta La Creative!

Will a BMW commercial that’s come under fire from a prominent mental-health advocates get bounced from the NCAA men’s basketball tournament?

The controversy over the 30-second spot, which has been running during games in heavy rotation, should serve as a cautionary tale for marketers (and communicators) everywhere. At first glance, “Cute Cottage,” promoting the ConnectedDrive personal assistant feature, seems harmless enough. A couple in a BMW X3 SUV pull up to the secluded, overgrown “Sprout Brook Inn.” Noting an unkempt woman in a nightgown and sweater staring at them from the porch, the guy in the passenger seat says, “She looks crazy.”

That line—and the couple’s decision to seek other lodgings post-haste, using the car’s technology (after Siri informs them of “slayings” at the dilapidated hotel)—didn’t sit well with Linda Rosenberg, CEO of the National Council for Behavioral Health, which represents more than 2,000 groups nationwide. She fired off a letter to BMW demanding the spot’s immediate ouster from the airwaves, and offered a “Mental Health First Aid” course to client executives and staffers at ad agency KBS+P, which created the commercial.

“This went beyond just the word [“crazy”] for us,” she told CNBC. “It was saying that word, and then behaving as if someone who has a mental illness doesn’t deserve your help. … They’re just going to walk away.”

BMW responded to Rosenberg’s complaint with an apology, and a company representative sent this statement to AdFreak: “We are deeply sorry to anyone that was offended by this ad, as it was certainly not our intention. The ad was intended to spoof a horror movie.”

Asked if the commercial would in fact act be pulled, the rep said, “The ad is naturally starting to run out of our ad-buy rotation.”

“Cute Cottage” does have a thriller-parody vibe—muted colors, moody photography, desolate locale, the couple’s overreaction. It’s neither hateful nor overtly disrespectful, and certainly not malicious. Ten years ago, or even five, I doubt there’d have been a dustup. I choose to take the brand’s apology at face value. If BMW doesn’t feel the ad is objectionable enough to pull, so be it—though trotting out the “nearing the end of its rotation” line, even if it’s true, rarely helps in these situations.

In a broader sense, we live in an age of social hyper-awareness, and words that carry dual meanings or subtly negative connotations — like “crazy”—should, at this point, set off warning bells. Still, it’s a tough call. Lenny Bernstein, the Washington Post’s “To Your Health” blogger, offers a nuanced take: “None of this dawned on me … though I’ve watched a lot of basketball and a lot of this ad since the tournament began. I understand why it’s easy to overlook the offensiveness of these stereotypes, even as we’re enjoying a time of great change in attitudes about other previously stigmatized groups.”

Personally, I winced when I first heard the guy say “crazy,” but I cover marketing every day, so I may be more attuned to advertising’s potential pitfalls than a casual viewer, or health writer, would be. I must admit, however, that Rosenberg’s second point of contention—the couple’s speedy departure without seeking help for the woman on the porch—eluded me completely. After reading her quotes in other media, though, I can see where she’s coming from, especially given her heightened awareness of mental health issues.

Cultural tastes and sensitives are constantly evolving. Words and images, always powerful, have the potential to trip up content creators like never before. That’s something everyone, especially those of us in the media, should strive to keep in mind.

Perhaps we won’t even be calling it March Madness much longer, though Rosenberg isn’t focused on that particular phrase.

“We are not concerned about the use of ‘March Madness,’ although others might feel differently, and indeed the term might fade out over time,” she tells AdFreak. “We view ‘March Madness’ as referring to a ‘commotion.’ Language is important—but the behavior in the ad is of most concern.”

For BMW’s Super Bowl spot, “Newfangled Idea,” Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners look back at an entertaining (and slightly embarrassing) 1994 Today show clip with Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel in which the hosts act more than a little befuddled about the whole Internet thing (and the “@” symbol).

The flashback functions as a setup to BMW’s forward-looking electric i3. Couric and Gumbel appear in the car, talking about how they don’t understand what they mean that there is “nothing under the hood” of the car or that it was made in a “wind-powered facility.” It’s a pretty clever way of illustrating how much people’s ideas can change about new technology in 20+ years, and making electric-doubters wonder if they’ll feel silly for their questions in another decade or two.

If you’re wondering how the pair feel about the clip, Gumbel offers some insight in a behind-the-scenes feature released by the brand. “People are inclined to ask, ‘Aren’t you embarassed by that clip?’ — or ‘Aren’t you angry about that clip?’ I say, ‘No! I’m not at all! I’m amused by it.’” He added, “I watched The Jetsons years ago, so I kind of thought we’d be in a jetpack, ya know, flying over things. I guess one day we’ll get there, but for the time being, the electric car is a great way to go.”

If you like watching pretty cars dance with each other, check out this new stunt driving ad from BMW South Africa.

Five cherry red M235i coupes spin around each other in a tightly choreographed high-speed sequence on a closed traffic rotary. Titled “The Epic Driftmob,” it takes pains to emulate a human flash mob. That means showing a woman dressed as a cop blocking several cars (including a Honda) from entering, and cutting in some unconvincing footage of confused and excited spectators.

Ultimately the stunt, orchestrated by Interone in Cape Town, feels more like it’s paying homage to Esther Williams than Improv Everywhere. Maybe that’s because it’s clearly too high-budget and well-planned to feel believable as a spontaneous event. Or maybe it’s because the fast edits and burning rubber can’t hide that there’s a sort of grace to the whole thing—especially if you watch the clip on mute, and spare yourself the obligatory but grating sounds of revving engines and screeching tires.

It also doesn’t look quite as dangerous as some of BMW’s other stunt commercials from recent years, which saw cars drifting through car-shaped holes in walls and around the edges of skyscraper helipads. But while less risky, at least we know the new spot is real (the brand says so on the YouTube page) and not CGI—unlike the recent aircraft carrier ad, which was almost certainly not real. (In the making-of video for the new spot, stunt driver Rich Rutherford points out the thin margin for error in coordinating the fast-moving cars, steered by pro drivers including drifting champions Rhys Millen and Samuel Hübinette).

And of course, the ad has a happy ending: The hot lady cop pulls off her hat and does a dramatic hair toss before climbing into one of the Beamers. Because the brand couldn’t resist suggesting its product will get you laid, too.

Você já fez de tudo e o seu filho não consegue dormir de jeito nenhum. Um pai experiente dirá: “Leve-o para dar uma volta de carro”, e a magia acontecerá diante dos seus… ouvidos.

Pensando em facilitar nossa vidas, a BMW apresenta a ZZZ Series, uma incrível máquina de fazer dormir.

Sim, é só 1 de abril, para tristeza de muitos pais.

[ATENÇÃO: O título deste post está em conformidade com a nossa nova política editorial. Saiba mais.]

L’exposition d’Eric Tabuchi a pris place au Brand Store BMW à Paris. Une expérience interactive permettant pour chaque photo d’Eric Tabuchi issue de La Route du Photographe, via un QR code situé sous la photo, d’afficher le lieu de la prise de vue. Des photos du road-trip de 4000km à découvrir dans la suite

La marque allemande BMW a dévoilé en mai dernier le coupé Zagato tout en parlant par la suite d’une version Roadster. Celle-ci vient d’être présentée il y a quelques jours avec ces photos très réussies mettant en avant le modèle dans un décor incroyable. Plus d’images du shooting dans la suite de l’article.

A MINI entra no espírito dos Jogos Olímpicos de Londres 2012 não apenas lançando um modelo em edição especial, mas também chamando a Orquestra Filarmônica da cidade para tocar.

Porém, ao invés de instrumentos, as buzinas dos MINI’s é que executam o hino nacional da Grã-Bretanha.

O modelo MINI London 2012 Limited Edition terá apenas 2012 unidades fabricadas.

A criação é da WCRS London.

Post originalmente publicado no Brainstorm #9
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BMW Canada présente cette vidéo très bien réalisée pour promouvoir son modèle de voiture M5. Intitulée « Bullet Art » et conçue en slow-motion, elle détaille les performances de la voiture, modélisée avec talent, dans un parcours incroyable. Une création réussie à découvrir dans la suite en vidéo.

Le constructeur BMW a pu penser ce E-Scooter en utilisant la base du Concept C. Ce véhicule électrique allie l’écologique au sportif. Utilisant des batteries au Lithium, l’autonomie de ce véhicule serait de 100 kilomètres. Un design intéressant à découvrir en image dans la suite.

Previously on Fubiz

• BMW i8 Concept
• BMW Concept C
• Nissan Leaf – Polar Bear

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Aposto que você já tentou isso em casa depois de uma aula de física na 5º série. Mas sem o jeito certo, acabou quebrando todas as louças da sua mãe e teve que se esconder debaixo da cama por uma semana. Não mente. Eu sei.

Sem o risco de deixar uma mãe furiosa, a BMW fez o mesmo experimento com sua moto S1000, indo de 0 a 100km/h em apenas 2.9 segundos, e puxando a toalha de uma grande mesa com 24 jogos de jantar completos.

Como o vídeo mesmo diz, é o truque mais antigo do mundo, mas ainda assim continua sendo divertido. Mais de 350 mil views em menos de 3 dias.

| Via Autoblog