BMW has just released this year's Super Bowl commercial starring Academy Award winner Cristopher Walken. Usher makes a surprise appearance in the 60-second video ad.
The German premium carmaker will promote the all-new generation BMW 5 Series in its electric variant, the first-ever BMW i5. It is a star-studded commercial titled “Talkin’ Like Walken,” with the Oscar winner Cristopher Walken driving the zero-emission sedan.
Actress Ashely Park, known for her part in “Emily in Paris,” and Grammy award-winning superstar Usher also show up in the commercial. The “Yeah!” singer is the Super Bowl Half-Time Show performer.
The video ad follows Cristopher Walken throughout a typical day as he has to deal with a stream of imitators. His hotel valet, his tailor, his make-up artist, and even his drive-through barista all try to “Talk like Walken.” The actor shows both surprise and frustration hearing everyone else trying to imitate his voice.
However, he says he enjoyed walking with BMW, while Usher explains that for him, “it's an honor of a lifetime” and a “cool experience.”
Photo: BMW
BMW's campaign for this year's Big Game was the creation of the US agency Goodby Silverstein & Partners (GS&P), with two-time Academy Award-nominated director Bryan Buckley coordinating the work on the set. Buckley is known for his extensive experience with the Super Bowl advertising.
He has directed almost 70 Super Bowl commercials. Cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema, known for his work on “Oppenheimer” and “Interstellar” was also part of the BMW team.
The Germans released two teasers ahead of showing the actual commercial. The first showed Cristopher Walken talking on the phone with his agent and asking him what a teaser was. “An ad for an ad? Why would they do that?” he inquired.
The second one, released last week, shows the Academy Award-winning actor driving the BMW i5 in the streets of what seemed to be a deserted Los Angeles. The teaser also previewed the surprise appearance of global star Usher, as Walken sang “Yeah, yeah, yeah” during his drive in the first-ever electric BMW 5 Series.
BMW will be airing a 60-second commercial during the first quarter of the Super Bowl LVIII, which should translate to an expense of $14 million. But with A-list celebrities, a funny script, and a car that BMW hopes will become iconic, the Germans seem to have found the perfect recipe for the night of the Big Game. The advertisement wants to show that, even though there are many impersonators out there, the original is unique.
The Germans will run the i5 campaign on social media, including Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, alongside their YouTube channel, accompanied by the hashtag #TalkinlikeWalken. And, of course, we are to see it on February 11, on the night of the NFL final.
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