Created for BMW of North America by Goodby Silverstein & Partners (GS&P), this short film stars the charming Milo Ventimiglia and tricks viewers into believing that the car he’s in is fully autonomous before revealing that the “self-driving” reference refers to the all-new BMW M4’s manual transmission and Ventimiglia has been in complete control of the vehicle during the entire drive.
“With all of the interest in self-driving vehicles these days, what better way to crack a smile on April Fools’ than with a little manual-transmission joke?,” said Uwe Dreher, VP of marketing, BMW of North America. “With up to 503 horsepower, and as one of the only vehicles in its category to offer a six-speed manual gearbox, the BMW M4 is the epitome of the ultimate driving machine.”
“We had a lot of fun taking viewers in one direction with the unbelievable driving and performance of the BMW M4 before pulling the rug out from under them to reveal that it was manual transmission the entire time,” said Matt Edwards, creative director at GS&P.
For the first half of the film, the BMW M4 pulls off mind-blowing drifts, edge-of-your-seat handling and thrilling reverse 180s. All of this, paired with Ventimiglia’s serene reactions, pulls the audience in before landing the joke perfectly with a wink and a smile.
“It’s the perfect ode to the iconic BMW tone of old with some simple wordplay and great comedic timing on Milo’s part,” said Kevin Leung, art director at GS&P.
Titled “The Ultimate Self-Driving Machine,” the short film is the perfect combination of hair-raising driving with tongue-in-cheek April Fools’ Day humor that really begs the question, Is the ultimate self-driving machine the one you truly drive yourself? If so, the new BMW M4 has you completely covered.
Jonny Mass of production house Radke directed.
The digital campaign launches on April 1 with a presence on YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and in digital placements, including on CBS Sports and Yahoo! Sports.
