Technology is an important facet of the BMW brand and perceptions of leadership in technology are an important driver of premium brand strength in the category. We saw from the competitive landscape that, perhaps unsurprisingly, many other brands are also striving to be seen as leaders in technology. But to some extent, the category has become guilty of what we’ve come to call ‘feature one-upmanship’, focusing more on the functional aspects of car technology and less on how amazing technology can make people feel. That gave us our pivot to create a distinctive approach: From focussing on function to evoking feeling.

THE IDEA

Creatively, we realised that art is the go-to place for people to ‘feel more’. And with the Sky Arts sponsorship, we thought this was a pertinent starting point regarding our ideation process. This eventually led us to the concept of positioning BMW Technology as ‘working pieces of art’. Innovation that not only serves a purpose, but creates an emotional connection between man and machine. We did this by creating worlds inspired by art movements of the past to which our tech / feature could come to life. Whether that be brutalist architecture framing our Reverse Assist technology, or renaissance-like clouds capturing the spirit of letting a world in with the Panoramic Glass Sunroof. Ultimately we wanted to show that BMW’s approach to technology, like art – can elicit a strong human response.