Who said that ads have to be short? For those who have not heard about it, BMW broke conventions by gathering the world’s best directors to make a series of 8 short films (5-10 mins each) in 2001. The plot of each film is very different but they share one similarity – Clive Owen, the driver who gets hired to transport and deliver with BMW cars. I have never seen a more captivating and thrilling ad before. After 8 years, they are still timeless.
The films were featured on BMW Films website because most car buyers search for information online. This series helped BMW gain 12% increase in sales despite the dot-com bubble and 911 tragedy then. The videos received more than 11 million views and motivated 2 million people to register with BMW website.
The Hire: Ticker by Joe Carnahan
The Hire: Hostage by John Woo
The Hire: Beat The Devil by Tony Scott
The Hire: Star by Guy Ritchie
The Hire: Powder Keg by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
The Hire: The Follow by Wong Kar-Wai
The Hire: Chosen by Ang Lee
The Hire: Ambush by John Frankenheimer
The Making of The Hire
Thought you might also be interested in the making of the series:
Which is your favorite film?
Post inspired by Prof Mark Chong from Singapore Management University
