I am going to hop on up on my soapbox and shout that “Joy ” is making me sad. That ‘s right, I am sad due to the latest marketing campaign from the Fatherland.

I was ok with a Z4 being relaunched for a different cushier market with the aid of a remote control and some paint. The use of the Z4 to express Joy as an art car (literally this time around), was just fine with me as BMW has been known to produce cars as art pieces. The next step was the X1 and the “Joy ” that it entailed, we in the US won ‘t see that model for a while so I was not too worried about a “Joy ” invasion.

It looks from the latest advertisement that the brand as a whole is being engulfed by all this joy. Are they forgetting the “Ultimate Driving Machine ” we have grown to love and been enthusiastic about for so long? I hope not but that is why I am sad. If the marketing machine (who also supplies Kool-Aid to some) is moving away from thinking BMW is all about the drive then what will the future engineers really be designing?

Lexus has become the next Buick; the average age of their buyer has increased to near AARP levels because they have focussed on comfort, reliability and all those things that bring the masses joy. Does anyone ever even use the word joy? Seriously, the only time I use or hear it is during the holidays or talking about this ad campaign.We are not the masses and while BMWs make us smile and give us an adrenaline rush, they bring a lot more than that- Drinking an Augustiner Edelstoff Helles makes me smile as well but you will never see that beer forget what makes it the best- tradition and purity just to name a few, BMW is not all that different. I hope BMW has not forgotten that and does not turn into Bud Light Lime.

I will hop off my box now and state that BMWNA has not fully adapted this campaign so there still is a chance for us… still a chance. (The aforementioned views may be those of the author and may or may not express those of BimmerFile.com)

Click on for the video that caused this soapbox rant-

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