German car giant BMW has outraged drivers with a controversial “bull *** t” online marketing video that critics say mocks older baby boomers and denigrates one of the most successful flagship limousines of the world. company – classic series 7.
It could also affect sales as drivers go on social media to say they took the insults “personally” and will not buy another BMW.
One commented: “I seem to really hate people who have one of their older cars. And by “older”, I mean done before 2017. “
The offensive video – created to highlight the high-tech BMW “iDrive” smart system in its new iX electric sports utility vehicle – annoyed and consumed consumers who questioned what the motorsport giant is trying to do by undermining its pride by attacking a legendary car that helped consolidate the company’s success.
It also seems to stir up intergenerational conflict, portraying the baby boomers – born from 1946 to 1964 – as an angry, narrow-minded generation that does not “listen” and condemns modern ideas as “bulls.” *** t ‘, and evokes the answer: “It is almost impossible to talk to your generation.”
The video was posted on the BMW website and shared on social media, including Twitter and YouTube, as part of its participation in the high-quality global Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2021) that is currently taking place online.
But it was rejected as offering a scathing and “awakened” condescending message, prompting some to go on social media to say they would not buy another BMW.
Did it even make an owner ask if “everyone in the marketing department in Munich is hopelessly tied to crack?”
Critics point out that the history of the baby boomer generation – with progress made since the ’60s permissive’ in all areas of social, political, cultural and technological life – shows that this representation could not be further from the truth.
Some BMW customers have long turned to social media to proclaim that, as a result of such attitudes, they will look elsewhere to buy their next car, one saying directly, “We’re out.”
The video, designed to promote the latest version of iDrive that will appear in the upcoming iX electric SUV, has been posted on YouTube and the BMW website and shared on social media.
In a statement, BMW in Munich said: “This film was created by BMW AG to highlight the evolution of the iDrive over the last 20 years, as the next-generation system will be unveiled in the spring.
“However, this clip is intended for certain global markets and is not running in the UK or US.”
But the statement seems to fly in the face of the facts.
He ignores the fact that the BMW used on Twitter is read with passion all over the world and especially in the UK and USA.
It also raises the question of why the characters in the car involved spoke English with American accents.
It also contradicts the fact that BMW explicitly states on its website and in its posts that the video is directly connected to the Consumer Electronics Show organized in the USA.
BMW later confirmed that the offensive video was posted on BMW’s global Twitter account – @BMW – managed by parent company BMW AG in Munich and accessible to users anywhere in the world, including the United Kingdom and the United States.
However, it appears that BMW weapons in the UK and the US were seeking to distance themselves from this move, as the video was not issued by local national Twitter accounts – @BMW_UK and @BMWUSA – specifically for customers in these locations.
The turn follows a previous BMW controversy in November, when the company’s marketing gurus posted a tweet in response to individual criticism of the iX style on YouTube, denigrating older customers allegedly with “OK, boomer” – causing a huge reaction.
Commentators have questioned the reason behind the tweet, especially given that baby boomers account for about half of BMW’s sales – especially in the key US market.
Three times, the old “grumpy” BMW repeats the same trick in the fanciful conversation between the two cars
The latest BMW video promotion uses excessive explosions
At the center of the new line is an online video that claims to show a fanciful plot between two rival BMWs in one of the company’s parking lots – a recently launched iX sport utility vehicle, and a historic 7-series petrol utility vehicle. limousine since 2001 – facing the bumper. Both have American accents.
The implication seems to be that the iX represents the present and the future, while the 7 series – and its customer base – should be firmly transferred to the past.
As if to reinforce this point, the voice of the 7 series is described as an old man, grizzly, grumpy and crotchety, with old-fashioned, fixed and inflexible attitudes, who only like “real cars”, repeatedly rejects modern technology. as a “bull.” *** t ”and describes 21st century electric vehicles as“ toy cars ”.
In stark contrast, the iX’s character is of a “smarter, better” and seemingly enlightened young female voice, who refers to the older car as a “grandfather” who “sniffs too long at the gas station” and says no. compromises: “Your time is up.”
The award-winning BMW 7 Series has been the flagship of the BMW range for decades, loved by industry captains and successful entrepreneurs and with armored versions used by Downing Street and the Metropolitan Police in the Blair years in government and beyond.
But anyone waiting for a respectful acknowledgment of the past is in shock.
At one point, iX in a female voice says to the older male car: “Of course you don’t understand. It is almost impossible to talk to your generation. With me, anyone can talk.
She adds: “I am the smart personal assistant. Do you know what I’m saying? Intelligent.’
The grumpy car of the older generation can only respond angrily with “bull *** t” and “bull bull *** t”.
The best answer he can give is “I can drive very fast.”
The new car then emits several mistakes such as “just don’t listen”.
The tone and content of the short film have angered BMW drivers and customers of all ages – who also claim that the classic BMW 7 series is, in any case, a much more elegant proposition than the new iX, with its gigantic design-like grille. animated.
Hilton Holloway, who writes in Autocar, the world’s longest car magazine, said directly about BMW: “All old people are old. They’re amazingly stupid.”
One Twitter user, Matt Robinson, asked, “What are they trying to convey? Are BMW’s new, hideous products tests full of satisfaction and self-satisfaction? That his old cars are all GAMMON ?! It’s just HUNGER. And yet, it makes me want an E65 760Li. ‘
He added: “I seem to really hate people who have one of their older cars. And by “older”, I mean done before 2017. Honestly, I take this personal video. I’ve been a BMW man for years. No more.’
He later asked if the reason for the bizarre marketing video was because “everyone in the marketing department in Munich is hopelessly tied to crack?”.
Richard Aucock, president of the respected British Guild of Motoring Writers, also highlighted BMW’s “bull *** t” video, describing it as “crazy”, adding: “Hoping that some marketing experts will I can correct and explain why this is actually breaking genius. ‘
Another Twitter user, “Bahnstormer Tom,” said, “What is BMW doing? Don’t reveal a 760Li and your legacy like that and get away with it. I own more BMWs than any other brand and I feel that they have completely alienated people like me. I will never buy a new BMW. Strange marketing strategy. That being said, he made us talk.
Simon Charlesworth, in a simple reference to businessman Gerald Ratner – who saw his business fail after rejecting the jewelry his company sold to gullible customers as “crap” – said: “Even Gerald Ratner would find this incredible. “
Another, Colin Isaac, said, “Is anyone wondering if they hired Gerald Ratner as a brand consultant …?”
A critic posted on Twitter the last BMW slogan – “Supreme driving car” – deleted and rewritten to read: “WOKE supreme car”.
Andy Sherrat posted: “I’m starting to think that Mercedes or Audi are paying for BMW’s social content right now. I can’t find an alternative justification! ‘
PR Philip Philip Hale said: “If BMW were a person, you would be convinced that it was in a booming age crisis.”
To which Alan Bradley replied, “If BMW were a person, you’d think he’d spent too much time around the White House.”
Private car rental manager James R. Williams said: “760 Li, 14, drives nicely and can take me to the south of France in a few minutes to a petrol station, the beginner has a long way to go before he can deliver that performance. ‘
Ananda Roy said: “After 15 years of owning several BMWs – almost all from the new specifications to our needs and usually 2/3 cars in the household, we are out. It happened organically. I like the dynamics of driving, but others have come a long way, and the interior and exterior design are simply weird.
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