- BMW is showing Spider-Man ads on compatible vehicles when owners start them.
- Full-screen animation includes music, ambient lighting, and a movie end card.
- The campaign clashes with BMW’s earlier claim that its cabin is a private space.
BMW owners are used to their car’s center screen handling navigation, music, settings, and warnings. They probably aren’t expecting it to pitch them a movie. Yet that’s exactly what BMW is doing, and the way it describes the advertising campaign makes the whole thing feel even more ridiculous.
As part of a partnership with Sony and Marvel, compatible BMWs display a Spider-Man banner when they start. Tap it, and the car launches a full-screen animation promoting Spider-Man: Brand New Day, complete with music and an ambient-light show. The promotion appears in more than 70 countries from July 27 through August 10 on suitably equipped vehicles built after July 2020 and running BMW Operating System 7, 8, 8.5, 9, or X, according to BMW.
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To be fair, this isn’t an autoplay commercial. Drivers have to click the banner to launch the full animation. But the banner itself still appears on the screen owners use to operate the car. BMW calls it a “special surprise” and a “festive animation.” The ending, which promotes the movie’s exclusive theatrical release, looks a lot like an advertisement because it is one.
The timing is especially awkward because BMW previously said it had no interest in selling space on the screens inside its vehicles. In December 2023, BMW executive Stephan Durach said he didn’t see the company selling screen space for commercials because the cabin was “a private space.”
Got this commercial in my car today as part of the Spider-Man – Brand New Day campaign
by u/Milanista58 in BMW
Of course, that was before BMW tried charging customers to activate heated seats already installed in their cars. The automaker eventually abandoned that subscription following a predictable backlash. This Spider-Man campaign isn’t charging owners anything, but it follows the same broader trend of treating the car as a software platform that can generate revenue long after it leaves the dealership.
BMW confirmed the campaign to The Autopian, telling the outlet the “in-vehicle animation is part of a broader brand partnership with the film. A few of our vehicles – including the BMW iX3 – were in the film, and a special edition iX3 was featured on the red carpet during last night’s premiere in Los Angeles.”
Also: BMW iX3 Has A 360 Camera, But You’ll Pay Monthly To Use It
BMW has every right to partner with a movie studio. Owners can even choose to watch the animation if they want. But there’s a difference between offering a holiday greeting and turning the dashboard into advertising inventory. The Spider-Man promotion disappears on August 10. The more troubling idea may stick around. Buying a luxury car now includes agreeing to let the automaker rent out part of your ownership experience whenever an advertiser pays for it.
