2001: BMW debuts film series ‘The Hire’
To celebrate the Ad Club of New York's 120th anniversary, The Drum is inviting readers to share their favorite marketing moments from the past 120 years.
The Hire
Today's moment was chosen by Carolyn Hadlock, principal and executive creative Director at Young & Laramore. Below, find out why BMW's film series 'The Hire' is her favorite marketing moment.
We all have those moments in our career when we see something and know, in that second, advertising will never be the same. One of those moments for me happened in 2001 when BMW Films debuted a series called “The Hire”. Imagine convincing a client to put 90% of their budget on the screen, and 10% into the media budget. Unbelievable then. Unbelievable now. The casting, writing, filming and actors were the best of the best - they didn’t cut any corners. To have the fortitude and the diligence to make 8 films that 15 years later would still be sold on DVDs on Amazon is mind-blowing.
One of the most elegant, unheralded, aspects of this effort was how they proved ROI. They didn't talk about reach and frequency, or unique visits, or impressions, or time spent on site, or engagement. They simply called success BMW minutes: The amount of time consumers spent with the brand.
Of course sales soared, but having NYT film critics review the films, and review them favorably? That’s when you know you’ve cut through the clutter. And changed the world forever.
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