BMW Canada, Official Vehicle of the Canadian Olympic Team, Launches First Olympic Integrated Campaign: Powering Performance

RICHMOND HILL, ON, Feb. 5, 2014 /CNW/ - To mark the Opening Ceremony of the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games on February 7^th, BMW Canada, National Partner and Official Vehicle of the Canadian Olympic Team, will premiere its 60-second halo spot as part of its integrated Olympic marketing campaign, Powering Performance. The campaign communicates the parallels between the high performance of BMW vehicles and the high performance of Canadian Olympic athletes.

"At BMW, peak performance, innovation, and style are at our core," said Kevin Marcotte, Director of Marketing at BMW Canada. "Powering Performance brings to life the synergies between our brand and the elite athletes competing in Sochi, and celebrates our Team BMW Olympians as they keep their eye on their craft - and on gold."

The Powering Performance platform and creative was developed by Cundari, BMW Canada's creative agency of record. The campaign includes one 60-second TV spot, and three 15-second spots featuring three of six Team BMW sponsored athletes - Olympic champions Kaillie Humphries (Bobsleigh) and Charles Hamelin (Short Track Speed Skating), and first-time Olympian Roz Groenewoud (Freestyle Skiing - Halfpipe). The spots were directed by award-winning director-photographer Shin Sugino, and feature the ultra high-performance BMW M5, the all-new BMW 4 Series Coupé, the next generation BMW X5 Sports Activity Vehicle and the BMW i8, the world's most progressive sports car and the halo vehicle of BMW's new electric vehicle sub-brand BMW i.

Using the visual metaphor of "Blue Energy", BMW's signature colour, Powering Performance symbolizes how BMW Canada is powering Canada's athletes to achieve their best and secure their place on the Olympic podium. Topix, one of Canada's leading post-production houses, fused the Blue Energy to each of the featured athletes as they power through every twist, turn and jaw-dropping trick. An anthemic original music track by award-winning Canadian music composer Grayson Matthews, supports the world-class visuals.

The campaign amassed more than 200 hours of rotoscoping, 150 hours of background painting, 50 versions of 'Blue Energy', and 500 hours of compositing to achieve the desired effect.
The TV spots are also supported by digital, out of home, consumer drive events and contesting, and social media, using hashtags #TeamBMW and #PoweringPerformance, and a two-minute dynamic behind-the-scenes spot exclusively for YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. Real-time posting to digital banner ads, bmw.ca and social media will show BMW Canada's support for Team Canada and its Team BMW athletes every step of the way.

The Powering Performance campaign was developed through integrated partnerships between BMW Canada and its agency partners, Cundari (creative), Media Experts (media planning and buying), Blast Radius (digital) and com.motion (social media).

For more information on BMW Canada's Olympic Partnership and the Powering Performance Campaign, visit www.bmw.ca/teamBMW.

BMW Group in Canada
BMW Group Canada, based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BMW AG and is responsible for the distribution of BMW luxury performance automobiles, Sports Activity Vehicles, Motorcycles, and MINI.  BMW Group Financial Services Canada is a division of BMW Group Canada and offers retail financing and leasing programs and protection products on new and pre-owned BMW and MINI automobiles, as well as retail financing for new and pre-owned BMW Motorcycles. A total network of 45 BMW automobile retail centres, 20 BMW motorcycle retailers, and 30 MINI retailers represents the BMW Group across the country.

SOURCE: BMW Canada Inc.

Frank Strebe, Director, Corporate Communications
BMW Group Canada
905-428-5005 / [email protected]

Kyle Denton, Corporate Communications
BMW Group Canada
905-428-5036 / [email protected]