Does Anyone Else Think That BMW’s New Ad Campaign is Lame?

In the last few weeks, BMW has plastered the automotive journals with a new advertising campaign that professes their “independence.”

“As an independent company, we can build our [cars] exactly the way we want to – designed around a philosophy, not a bottom line.”

Yup, I’m sure that BMW’s Board never thinks about how much money the company lost on the Rover purchase debacle or on the amount it hemorrhages on Rolls Royce every day . . .

I don’t really understand the art and science of advertising, and that makes me curious about why I even noticed these ads.  Generally speaking, I completely ignore about 90% of all advertisements.  The other 10% get read (or glanced at) and maybe 0.5% (of the overall) actual elicit some response from me – like hitting a web site to follow up or making a mental note for the future.  I guess that BMW’s advertising agency should get kudos for getting my attention at all, even though the result is me thinking less of the company.

What happened to talking about the great cars the company makes or the myriad of awards it wins every year or the shear growth in sales volume?  I guess that this is about market expansion for the company.  Maybe they think that current customers are not independent and that this new tack will bring in new, lone-wolf thinkers?

I’m a fan of the company and its vehicles, but the new advertising campaign is truly stupid, IMO.  I just don’t get it.  But, then again, what do I know?

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3. The Role of the Independent Director