BMW: advert-body-3 by Serviceplan Munich

To relaunch the iconic BMW 7 Series model, the high-end vehicle mimics a takeoff of a luxury private jet. The team involved in the commercial shoot went to great lengths to conceal the car before its release.

The two-minute spot, created by Serviceplan and shot by Tony Petersen Film, used production service company LS Productions to pull off the logistically complex airport runway shoot without a single person seeing the new vehicle.

The spot shows a man driving his 7 Series car to the airport and parking it so he can take his private jet for a spin. Close-ups of the exterior and the plush, quilted leather seats accent the high-end nature of the vehicle and tone of the ad. As the man taxis out of the hangar and requests take off from the tower, the weather becomes dark and stormy, and the flight is grounded. Instead of being upset, the man walks back to his car, gets in and treats his drive away as a plane taking off. The sequence showing the car gaining speed as the lights of the runway rush by. At the point of takeoff, a jet engine sound is heard and the car appears to emerge from the clouds, driving along an alpine road.

The tag merely states ‘The 7’ before showing the BMW crest and the German company name, Bayerische Moteren Werke.