It seems like BMW’s commercials are simply too hardcore for some markets. After being called out for promoting reckless driving in Australia with an M235i clip, the Germans are also struggling in the UK where one of their videos was banned.
According to Marketing Week, BMW’s M4 Convertible commercial that started rolling on stations UK-wide was banned by the Advertising Standards Authority due to showing the car being driven in an inappropriate manner.
The video in question can be watched below and it does show the car being driven both on and off a track. However, the problem seems to be that the distinction between the two scenarios isn’t clear enough.
The racetrack shots were combined with those of the car being driven on a public road which can cause confusion and entice people to drive recklessly.
BMW admitted that the end result could’ve looked better after editing but they also claim that the intercuts clearly show the appropriate manner in which to drive the car in both settings. According to them “the road driver was shown as <<calm and in control>> and the exclusion of the engine noise meant design not speed was the ad’s main focus.”
However, the Advertising Standards Authority says that the ad cannot be run in its current form. Therefore BMW will either had to edit it again or pull it for good. We’ll have to wait and see the decision made by the Marketing department but we can tell you that driving recklessly is not caused by commercials but rather by a lack of intelligence.
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