[Jason]

BIMMERPOST NEWS

BMW i3 Super Bowl commercial

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Woodcliff Lake, NJ – January 26, 2015… Today, BMW officially premiered the new, 60-second spot for the all-electric BMW i3 that will air during the first quarter of NBC’s broadcast of Super Bowl XLIX on Sunday, February 1, 2015. After a 4-year hiatus, BMW will be returning to the big game with “Newfangled Idea,” featuring Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel. The spot juxtaposes the famous 1994 Today Show clip of Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbel’s initial confusion surrounding “what is the internet?”, to Katie and Bryant in 2015 grasping the newfangled concept of the revolutionary BMW i3.

“In 1994, people had not yet grasped what the internet was, which is similar to how electric mobility is viewed today,” said Trudy Hardy, Vice President of Marketing, BMW of North America. “Electric mobility is at a tipping point. We are on the verge of something great and we hope that with this spot, we can educate audiences about the BMW i3 and e-mobility in a fun and engaging way.”

The BMW i3 spot marks the first time both Katie and Bryant have participated in national brand advertisement.

“When BMW offered me the chance to turn back the clock to 1994 and make fun of Bryant—and myself – I jumped at the opportunity,” said Katie Couric. “The tape doesn’t lie, we weren’t exactly visionaries back then, but thankfully in 2015 we are much more adept @ recognizing game-changing, environmentally friendly innovations like the BMW i3.”

“The BMW i3 Super Bowl spot is my very first commercial, and the opportunity to reunite with Katie was a no-brainer,” said Bryant Gumbel. “We are not actors, and we got to be ourselves, which made it fun and easy.”

BMW i is BMW’s forward-looking and sustainable brand dedicated to solving many of the mobility challenges faced by the world’s most densely populated cities. The BMW i3 is the first of the BMW i vehicles constructed from the ground up primarily of carbon fiber. Currently available in the U.S., the BMW i3 has a starting MSRP of $43,350 (Including $950 Destination and Handling), and the range-extender model has a starting MSRP of $47,200 (Including $950 Destination and Handling).

The spot is part of a larger campaign that includes digital and social activations. KBS (kirshenbaum bond senecal + partners) developed and executed the creative and UM is responsible for media buying on behalf of BMW.

Super Bowl commercial:

B-Roll:

Other recent BMW i / i3 advertisements:

[avol3xo]

Ha, I like it! It could do without the "Can you twerk?" line at the end though! Lol

[UnfoundLegend]

What's a twerk?

[phoenixbmwlife]

I love it! And agree the twerk in the end is not needed.

[MalibuBimmer]

Anybody else see the huge error (at least I think it is an error) in this commercial:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?x-yt-ts...&v=SiGb0Uyly5I

[Cuz5150]

Bryant Gumbel what a has been, just recently he called pretty much every gun owner/NRA "pigs"
and Kate, another has been.........BMW you can do better.

[MalibuBimmer]

According to the i3 description on the BMWUSA website:

BMW Warranty
BMW Ultimate Service® (for complete details on BMW Ultimate Service, visit bmwusa.com/ultimateservice) 4-year/50,000-mile New Vehicle Limited Warranty
12-year Rust Perforation Limited Warranty 4-year/Unlimited Mileage Roadside Assistance Program
8-year/100,000-mile High-Voltage Battery Warranty

According to the commercial it's 8 years 100-miles. Whoops.

Maybe somebody can take a screenshot. I've alerted my friends at BMW so I expect it will be gone soon.

[GJR]

Originally Posted by Cuz5150

Bryant Gumbel what a has been, just recently he called pretty much every gun owner/NRA "pigs"
and Kate, another has been.........BMW you can do better.

I agree completely. Very disappointing.

[wdeerfield]

definitely not a commercial geared towards people who drive cars.. just meant to be a quick funny commercial but i found it rather dumb. i guess if you have trouble keeping with the times you'll enjoy this commercial (aka, any older person who cant operate a tv remote or types physical addresses in email address bars)

[GJR]

It's terrible, but if you want to look on the bright side, at least its not Whoopie and Rosie. That would have caused major projectile vomiting.

[M3 Adjuster]

Originally Posted by wdeerfield

definitely not a commercial geared towards people who drive cars.. just meant to be a quick funny commercial but i found it rather dumb. i guess if you have trouble keeping with the times you'll enjoy this commercial (aka, any older person who cant operate a tv remote or types physical addresses in email address bars)

Seems like the right idea no?

This is a commercial for a football game in which the average person watching is only a casual football fan.


Access to a much wider market than just football fans or just car enthusiasts and of course the point of the Commerical is educating the non car enthusiast to what BMW I is.


It's more about educating the great unwashed than trying to excite enthusiasts.

The follow up commercials add more info later

[socal135]

Seriously! This?? And for the Superbowl... BMW you can do so much better.

[ORIGIN M.]

These people are completely played out 20 years ago!

BMW is this really the fans you are hoping to sell iCars to?

What is the internet? What is innovation? What is marketing? WTF?

[E90M3JETS]

The GM at the dealer where I bought my car was telling me the i3s are not moving in the US and he and other dealers are extremely concerned with their future.

He also said BMW is about to kick off some serious incentives to move inventory. He said to expect sub-$280/month 24mo leases on the i3 and up to $10k off 2014 leftover inventory across the entire BMW line up.

[hellrotm]

Originally Posted by E90M3JETS

The GM at the dealer where I bought my car was telling me the i3s are not moving in the US and he and other dealers are extremely concerned with their future.

He also said BMW is about to kick off some serious incentives to move inventory. He said to expect sub-$280/month 24mo leases on the i3 and up to $10k off 2014 leftover inventory across the entire BMW line up.

This is very much true.

My dealer down the street has 30+ 2014's on the lot.

[ORIGIN M.]

Originally Posted by E90M3JETS

The GM at the dealer where I bought my car was telling me the i3s are not moving in the US and he and other dealers are extremely concerned with their future.

He also said BMW is about to kick off some serious incentives to move inventory. He said to expect sub-$280/month 24mo leases on the i3 and up to $10k off 2014 leftover inventory across the entire BMW line up.

With the plug standard they picked the gamble is not paying off.

239/mo isn't bad at all, but where the hell do you fast charge it ?

[ando]

I really like the i3 but feel like this ad is bad and the personalities poor choices for this brand.

[ORIGIN M.]

Originally Posted by ando

I really like the i3 but feel like this ad is bad and the personalities poor choices for this brand.

Exactly.

Not sure if the marketing people are in bubble but most young people don't even know those two tv hosts of yesteryear.

[DCG]

Originally Posted by M3 Adjuster

This is a commercial for a football game in which the average person watching is only a casual football fan.

Access to a much wider market than just football fans or just car enthusiasts and of course the point of the Commerical is educating the non car enthusiast to what BMW I is.


It's more about educating the great unwashed than trying to excite enthusiasts.

The follow up commercials add more info later

I agree from an advertising standpoint, but not from a BMW enthusiast perspective though.

This all about retro kitsch, and you get that and so will others. This is not about high-tech, but about an introduction to the BMW i branding and concept, that the average person has no clue about.

Absolutely love the appropriate 80s song chosen, 'Electric Avenue'!

[DCG]

Originally Posted by red-sauerkraut

Exactly.

Not sure if the marketing people are in bubble but most young people don't even know those two tv hosts of yesteryear.

I think that was the exact point, a cheesy retro flashback. Gumbel covered the Super Bowl back in the day, so their is your football reference. Hell, I am a soccer fan anyway. But it correlates with the Super Bowl spectacle.

The retro footage is great. Yes the should have gotten Matt Lauer who actually owns a BWW 7 Series and a new i8 and was one of the firsts to have one by the way.

They could have gone another route, meaning high-tech 'the future is now' and they could and should have included the i8 as well.

A cool follow up add would have been Matt Lauer and Al Roker rolling up to them at an NYC stoplight in the i8 rocking Garry Numans 'Cars', one of the best songs ever. BMW NA you know where to send the check to.

[DCG]

Originally Posted by wdeerfield

definitely not a commercial geared towards people who drive cars.. just meant to be a quick funny commercial but i found it rather dumb. i guess if you have trouble keeping with the times you'll enjoy this commercial (aka, any older person who cant operate a tv remote or types physical addresses in email address bars)

LOL, like most people's parents that watch morning news and drink Metamucil.

By the way the i3 looks great and way better in Alpine White! And by the way guys it drives great as well.

And the add that did not even air yet is already catching a buzz.

[slalomfever]

saw this from the today show earlier this morning. Matt Lauer interviewed Katie Couric and she says "I drive an Audi"