When it comes to TV and cinema ads, BMW Group Canada has been idling, opting to spend in other media and adapt global video assets for TV. That will change this year thanks to recently re-affirmed AOR Cundari’s top-secret ad concept due to appear in early June.
For its first homemade video work, BMW is focusing on the 1 Series M Coupe, or 1M as it’s called—a high-performance autophile’s dream. “We felt this was a great vehicle to rally behind,” said Marc Belcourt, brand communications manager. “A great halo vehicle for the entire brand.” With several other product launches on the go, BMW’s global marketers had not funded a campaign for the limited-edition car’s launch.
Cundari pitched Belcourt three creative concepts to be filmed. There was budget enough for one, but that’s when Christine Fleischer, North and South American area manager for BMW’s M line, arrived in Toronto from Germany to attend the Canadian International Auto Show. After seeing some decks, she was intrigued enough to show her U.S. brand team (unbeknownst to the Canadians) what Cundari was up to.
After hearing about Fleischer’s show-andtell, Belcourt convinced the U.S. team to commit a “relatively small and responsible investment” to film the second spot in exchange for shared rights. BMW Germany then chipped in for the third concept at Fleischer’s behest, and the full scope of Cundari’s vision was a go.
Ten cameras from Los Angeles-based production company Bandito Brothers were mounted to two helicopters and two production ground vehicles (BMW’s highperformance 1100RR motorcycle and the X6M sporty “soft-roader”) to shoot the ads. “I’m so used to Canadian budgets, it was amazing to see what a global production looks like,” said Cundari chief creative officer Brent Choi. Bandito, themselves intrigued by Cundari’s high-energy performance driving script, “made the numbers work” to keep their involvement under budget despite hiring the industry-leading drivers involved in filming Fast Five.
The finished product is under wraps until June, when it will run nationally in cinemas and online in various formats. However, if you like what you see, your BMW dealer probably can’t help anyway. There aren’t many 1Ms coming to Canada and 90% of them have been pre-sold.
