BMW Web Films!

[spurdon]

By Michael McCarthy
USA TODAY
(Friday, June 7, 2002)

Buckle your seat belts. BMW of North America is rolling out a sequel to its online movie series, The Hire.
The automaker has begun producing a second group of short films that will launch on the Web this fall. British actor Clive Owen, star of the feature film Croupier, again will take the wheel as the mysterious driven-for-hire who took co-stars such as Madonna on the ride of their lives (in BMWs of course) in the first series.
“The films have attracted quite a following,” says Jim McDowell, vice president of marketing for BMW. “We want to keep the enthusiasm going.”
The second lap in the critically well-received series will be three films vs. four last years. McDowell says viewers will “learn more about” the character played by Owen. However, BMW wants new actors and directors around Owen to keep the films fresh. “Many directors are really intrigued by making films for the Internet, “McDowell says.
BMW is keeping the same creative oversight team in place. Ad agency Fallon Worldwide in Minneapolis, which came up with the idea, is writing the scripts. David Fincher, director of Hollywood films such as Seven and Fight Club, again will serve as executive producer through his Anonymous Content production firm in Los Angeles.
Steve Golin, chief executive of Anonymous, says BMW is “committed” to making quality movies that entertain consumers. “The cars are a character in the film. They get banged up; they get dirty.”
BMW attracted A-list Hollywood talent to direct and star in the flicks last year, including Modonna and Forest Whitaker and directors Ang Lee of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and John Frankenheimer of The Manchurian Candidate. The films run five to seven minutes at bmwfilms.com. They are not completely gratis: Web surfers have to give up personal information to view them.
The combination of famous faces, sexy cars and high-speed action made The Hire a Web hit. Visitors to the site have streamed the films about 13 million times since last spring. From 10,000 to 15,000 consumers still visit every day, McDowell says. Time Magazine called the films “the ultimate in new media, high-end branding.”
The second series is being readied as BMW’s U.S. sales are on a roll. Through May, sales are up 17.4% over last year at this time, says Mike Greywitt of automotive consultancy J.D. Power and Associates. By contrast, General Motors’ sales in the period are down 2.8%; Volkswagen is down 0.2%, according to Power.