BMW: Sleepwalking

Dreamy cars are never a hard sell, but in today’s crowded automotive industry, the hard part is standing out. Here, we review the “Sleepwalking” TV commercial by BMW. The advert was created by the advertising agency Paranoiia.
We’ll give this ad a score out of 10 for memorability, effectiveness, style, heart, and execution. Were you blown away by this BMW concept? Check out our thoughts below and see if you agree with our scores.

Memorability – 8 / 10

The concept revolves around the idea that everyone in the family appreciates a good car, so we should all aim to drive one. It’s a striking notion that almost all keen driver will relate to. The visuals depicting the girl move as if she were an adult driving a fast sports car are just as striking as they are beautifully choreographed. The most memorable part of the ad is the close-up shots of the child shifting gears and enjoying the cool breeze within her imaginary automotive experience. This is a joy that even people who don’t drive will be sure to appreciate. Very catchy, extremely relatable to a wide audience, and very easy to remember.

Effectiveness – 7 / 10

The pure goal here for BMW is to reinforce the brand as the ideal car for all young families to aspire to. Everyone recognizes the fact that children play “adult”, and this concept makes clever use of that theme. It will make viewers, especially those of adult age, long for a car of dignity, luxury, and power. Does the ad suggest only a BMW will provide this “dream experience”? No, we don’t feel it does. This concept could be applied to almost any other luxury car brand in the market. There’s no part of this concept that tells the viewer they can only feel this way if they have a particular car. A huge opportunity has been missed to show some of the unique pleasures that only the latest BMW designs can offer.

Style – 7 / 10

It’s a stunning clip to look at and beautifully shot, but the product doesn’t feature enough in the content. The ad doesn’t includes a single clear shot showing a real car or any special BMW design features. The exact same ad could be presented with a different logo and steering wheel popping up at the end, and it would work for a completely different brand. The idea here is clearly to condition BMW’s market positioning as “the ultimate brand” to dream about, so the producers are far less concerned with pinpointing any particular model. Still, you always feel a car advert requires at least one incredible shot of real bodywork as a key USP…

Heart or Humor – 8 / 10

A balance of both humor and heart mix to draw viewers in from the start. Parents will imagine their own children “sleep-driving”, and single adults will remember the dreams they experienced growing up of driving the perfect car. Great connectivity and appeal to a range of key target demographics.

Execution – 8 / 10

A really clever concept that has been executed on a sizable budget. Strong videography makes the scenes cool and attractive. Great audio production ensures the clip oozes quality with a distinctly “dreamy” feel. The only thing that is missing is an actual vehicle.