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BMW and 007 - a happy marriage? |
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(BMW AG press release) |
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In this way, a cooperative partnership came to being in autumn 1994 between BMW AG and the film studio MGM and the production company EON Productions Ltd. in London - a partnership that continues today. The companies had already cooperated successfully in the past. In the 1983 007 film Octopussy, five police sedans and one BMW motorcycle were deployed to chase Bond - played by Roger Moore at that time - across the Berlin Avus. But this cooperative project took on new dimensions. In 1995, many representatives of the media speculated over the sum that BMW paid for their vehicle to appear in the Bond film - and the answer astounded them all: We are not paying a penny and have no influence on the production of the film. For its part, BMW AG advertised the film in its campaign for the car. The term given to this exchange of interests is cross promotion. The two companies became marketing partners and both parties profited. Of course, it lies in the nature of the matter that money was spent for more than just advertisements. This is because of the fact that - at the time that the film production company chose to go with the Z3 roadster - there where only handmade pilot models available. And it was precisely these one-off products that were manufactured at BMW�s expense, and then transported and accompanied to the filming locations in Puerto Rico and London. They were even hand painted. The amusing comment of the painter: Bond drives an environmentally friendly car with water-based paint - but it was stirred, not shaken. |
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BMW and Tomorrow Never Dies
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The result was a complete success. For the James Bond film, one of the most exciting and complex chase scenes of all times was created (including jumps). The four weeks of filming were worth the effort. For BMW, the Cruiser became the best-selling motorcycle for the year 1998. At this point, we should not hold back the fact that, in the same film, a 750iL sedan also played a significant role and that the pursuers used a Range Rover. Both models were already on the market and impressively showed what they have to offer. They stood more for other attributes of the BMW company - such as driving safety, endurance, and excellent crash behavior. After all, what car is able to survive (almost undamaged) a fall from the seventh story of a parking garage into an office building across the street? Film historians might be amazed that the BMW also fires off rockets, drops three-pointed steel nails, sprays gas, and is protected with an electric charge. The company has become more open as far as the presentation of its products and the integration into the film action is concerned. Nevertheless, the company still does not have any influence on the happenings in the film. And the questions of what other cars appear and what happens to them are decided exclusively by the film production company. |
BMW and The World Is Not Enough
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When the preparations for the latest action adventure began in September, MGM an EON reported its interests and had a look at the prototype, which now wore the designation Z8. The appearance and performance turned out to be of interest, so the partners again agreed upon a special deployment. Three handmade prototypes with silver metallic paint and black leather interior trim left the works, and spent 1999 in front of the camera in Baku on the Caspian Sea, in England, and in the Pinewood Studios in London. They, too, were equipped with special options: The car:
These noble vehicles will also be available for purchase - although without the specially made equipment - beginning in mid 2000. As was already the case with GoldenEye and Tomorrow Never Dies, The World Is Not Enough is also a cross promotion project based on cooperation between BMW, MGM, and EON Productions Ltd. The film will show the BMW vehicle, and BMW will advertise the film in a cross promotional deal. This is accomplished worldwide with TV commercials, print ads, and displays in dealer showrooms. It will also be possible to see the connection between the film and BMW at trade shows and exhibitions, the last of which will be the IAA in Frankfurt, Germany. Thus, for the third time in a Bond film, BMW has produced a unique vehicle which at the time of the release of the movie is not available for purchase on the market.
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