In the early part of the last decade, the BMW Films rewrote the book on how to do automotive advertising. Even today, no one has topped them — but it looks like BMW is about to see if they can.
Ad Age has a great bit of news for everyone who loves well-executed, intense, dramatic and often hilarious short films involving Bimmers that get sideways: the BMW Films are coming back for another season.
Details at the moment remain extremely scarce, however. Here's Ad Age:
Trudy Hardy, BMW's new VP of marketing, said at the 2014 Automotive News World Congress in Detroit, the luxury automaker was planning to bring back BMW Films. But Ms. Hardy and BMW have declined to comment further.
BMW's current ad agency, KBS+, declined to comment on the plan. Steve Golin, who was heavily involved in the first project at Anonymous Content, could not be reached for comment. Ditto for Mr. Owens' agent at Creative Artists Agency in Los Angeles.
So basically, we don't know whether Clive Owen will be returning as The Driver, who will be directing the movies, or what cars will be involved. We'll have to wait and see, but I'm excited to hear this news.
The BMW Films were a huge success in their time, and they're still well-remembered now. They spawned a slew of imitators and pioneered web video advertising. They're even credited with helping to sell cars. And most importantly for us, they were just a ton of fun to watch.
A big reason for this is that BMW spared no expense and got A-level talent involved. They made Clive Owen a star, they featured ace actors like Gary Oldman, and they were directed by heavy hitters like Ang Lee, Guy Ritchie, and Tony Scott. That's why they worked so well. If BMW wants to make a repeat of the original films' success, getting the right people will be key.
Frankly, I'd love to see Owen come back; that would be awesome. But what new BMWs should he drive? The new M3 and M4? Maybe even the i8? And who should direct the new movies? Let your crazy ideas fly like an M5 with Madonna in the back seat!