BMW in TMS 2011.

BMW BMW BMW.  I enjoyed the presentation a 100%.  No show and dance, no presenter or performer, just pure solid information on the ultimate driving machines and their destination.  What I like is how they communicate their positioning is via solid facts.  Numerical data that they are so confident in (almost cocky) because they are unprecedented and unchallenged - the most sustainable automotive brand for 7 years in a row, the ActiveHybrid 5 Sedan that's most powerful and efficient in its class, the figures which show that BMW is the number premium brand in Japan.  No... football gimmick, only true vorsprung durch technik ;) Sorry I take that back.  That was below the belt.

BMW talked about two important aspects of where they are likely to take the brand to.  Evolution - optimising combustion engine and Revolution - pursuing sustainable technologies today.  Hence, the world premier of the ActiveHybrid 5 Sedan - a full-hybrid sedan that brings together a six-cylinder in-line petrol engine, an electric drive system, an eight-speed automatic gearbox and a high-performance lithium-ion battery. As well as the BMW i concept - i3 and i8 sports - both set to be the world's first premium electric vehicles.

And I was looking all over... and there you are :)

Yeah.  Keep it simple.  The way a car should be.

Hello big brother :) Just something to note, the premium cars showcased in TMS this year, all sport a matte pearl finish.  Trend to come?

And of course, the 120 Sport (non-M).

BMW 6s, Sestosenso, Milan.

When all forms of design co-influence one another.

The new BMW M5.

Hello world.

BMW's flash projection - is it ethical?

This is cool. But I'm not sure if this is entirely ethical. It's like why 2 seconds commercials flashing only the logo of the advertiser is banned because it's considered to be priming the audience's subconscious, making the brand sticks during recall, unaware by the consumer. Hmmm. What do you think?

BMW 1 Series M Coupe.

The One may not be the one. But the M One is definitely THE One ;)

Dreams that move me...

We should feel, every time we create... E.V.E.R.Y.T.I.M.E.

The new BMW X3.

You can have it all. You can show utility visually without copy.

The story of two little pets :)

These guys, whomever these guys are, really know how to 'treat' cars. Awesome light, space, story line, all centered around these motion wonders and their DNA. The epitome of technology, sheer performance joy showcased with no human interference. There is no need of Man when his hand is so apparent in the emotion which he had so delicately crafted. There is no need of Man when the story is told so completely.

BMW M3 GT2 x Jeff Koons.

Jeff Koons, the neo-pop artist with BMW as canvas ;)

Welcome to the hall of artistic super cars made famous by the legendary likes of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.

Revealing BMW 1 Series M Coupe.

BMW is spiritual. And that silence? Is certainly deafening.

The origin of the BMW logo.

Did you know there is a job in BMW called 'Automobile Historian'? These brands are cults in their own right. Which is why like Honda and many other cultish brands, BMW has got their own museum in homeland Bavaria. So you see, if you want a legacy. You've got to build one.

BMW M3 GTS on Nurburgring, May 2010.

It needs a soundtrack title. Like 'Don't hold back in anger' or something like that. Appeals to both drivers and musicians :)

Caution: May cause heart to pound and may even stop. Also may result to sudden uncontrollable strong urges to well up from somewhere unidentifiable inside at gut-level in the mortal anatomy. Watch at your own discretion.

Video: This kind of videos make BMW viral.

I've been studying YouTube videos for awhile now to segregate those which become viral and those which do not. One of the key features of a video which will make it 'big' is being 'impressive'. Impressive here is defined very closely to world-record-breaking-equivalent stuff. Stuff which the people in the video can do and you cannot. Or stuff which the people in the video discovered and you didn't. A lot of brands when they put out a video, more often than not it's too commercial like and it doesn't get grabbed and shared. People may watch it for entertainment value but it's not cool, it doesn't make you want to tell your friends because it doesn't make you look cool. Watch the new video created by BMW on their BMW S1000 RR. It's serious stuff that makes people go... wow. So what if it's not homemade?

I think it's cool, so I'm sharing.

Advertising: BMW 500,000 fans.

For everything that's worth...

An example of a low budget but strategic and well researched use of online media. You don't see it cheapening the image, do you?



On the other note, when this video was launched, BMW Facebook fan page hasn't reached the 500,000 mark. I guess this was in preparation for that. Or maybe because of this, it brought the number up to the prognosticated mark.

Automotive: Spy video of new ///M 1series.

Even at a long shot, you can appreciate the strong throaty volume of the ///M engineering at work. Rumour has it that it will be on display this year as a concept in the upcoming Geneva Motorshow. If I were the driver. I could do this all night.

Automotive: BMW X6M and X5M in extreme drifting.

It's a different perspective of drifting all together compared to my recent short experience with D1 in Tokyo. I guess this helps remove qualms people have about the monster truck size of X6 and 5 when it comes to performance. While no one can dispel the truth on how fast the vehicles can go, but when it comes to drifting, it's about YOU being in control and working with the agility of your machine. Awesome.

Automotive: The BMW 5 series GT development - why it's worth every penny.

This is the kind of advertising that is most believable. Is it even advertising? Well, according to conventional rules, it's not. Because it's not a TVC. It doesn't have a Big Hairy Audacious Creative idea. It doesn't win you awards. It doesn't make all the big creative people smile in the boardroom. It's just a video. It's a launch video with a message. And it says everything it needs to say - the BMW 5 series GT took a hell lot of time, a hell lot of effort, from a hell lot of people, going through a hell lot of tests to show a hell lot of story. But at the end of the video, it's succinct. To all you BMW lovers, it's worth every penny and it's worth every one of your sleepless nights dreaming about the perfect robust 4-seater sports. It's time to own one.

Automotive: Drifting with a 7-series.

This video is strange. The people in some faraway land certainly have some pretty interesting 'sport'. Drifting!? With a 7-series!? If it isn't because you're in a land where money is overflowing from pipes, you wouldn't do that. My friend was wondering if this is the rich man's equivalent of 'long jump' or some sort in the Middle East. I think he may be right.

Automotive: BMW Z4 sDrive35is

All I can say is...

Change the voice over.

Please.

Automotive: Merry Xmas by the BMW team.

Gone are the days of soapy Christmas carols.

Welcome to Christmas in the world of BMW. So much joy, it's blinding ;) Now if only I can make my way there...