Beginning with qualifying tomorrow at Brno, the factory BMW WSB squad was to take to the track with bikes specially decorated to promote the new Batman movie, “The Dark Knight Rises”. The body panels are already painted, and were to be placed on the bikes this evening, but in light of a massacre at a movie theater in Colorado last evening during opening night of the movie, and to show respect to the victims, BMW has decided to run its normal livery this weekend.
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Run ’em in Laguna
Yawn. Wake me when the commercial break is over. Slow news day.
Sure would like to see the livery. I don’t think BMW would lose any customer’s. The draw back would be bad coverage from our news media, which are a bunch of rating craving whores
I like your characterization of the news media. On a day like this past Friday, the sum total of the information they had could be read in thirty seconds or less. Maybe a full minute, at most. But throughout the day, they struggle to think up different ways of saying to make it seem like they have more information. But they don’t. At the very end of that day, the information they had was not appreciably any more than they had early that morning. Still not more than a minute’s worth of information, which they hashed over and over and over throughout the day. The agenda that underlies it all, and always has, is singular: selling advertising.
In Reality, any big entity must consider any negative publicity. Everyone will see the event differently, but as the saying goes, the squeaky wheel is the one that gets greased. Hence, they must be careful to the extreme. I may run them, with some little sticker of love and peace on the side, but, they must do what is SAFEST for the company.
They just don’t like to tempt fate – any crash in black would immediately be spun into another “batman” casualty. It was probably the movie promoters who asked BMW to put it away, they have enough publicity to handle for now.
Propriety 1: Relevance 0…but what has that ever had to do with it?
This act of terrorism will, unfortunately, be inexorably tied to this movie and those of us who still value lives over a marketing gimmick feel BMW is doing the right thing. The shootings happened 10 miles from where I live, and the senselessness has had a palpable effect on the people of this metro area, this state, and this country. There is zero reason, financial or otherwise, for BMW to become the first motorcycle manufacturer to actively point to a tragedy on the side of their race bikes 48 hours after the shootings occurred.
BMW is a high profile company. an unfortunate by-product of this success is that the Roundel is often viewed as a “bullseye” (something to take aim at), thus they have to avoid any appearance of impropriety. for them, anything in doubt =’s DON’T. it’s not like they’re going to miss the money.
I dont believe BMW was trying to grab headlines or win points as much as they were trying NOT to be the target of REACTIVE comments etc. if they went ahead with the plan. I agree that we should not feel we have to boycott things or change our directions in response this type of mindless act. But I can see why BMW didn’t want ANY association WHATSOEVER with the week’s tradgedy.
There is no place for “Political Correctness” in a free society.
It’s turned this nation into a bunch of mamby pamby’s, afraid of saying what’s really on their mind, so not offend someone.
I agree with mpolans.
“There is no place for ‘Pollitical Correctness’ in a free society.”
Not sure what “political correctness” and “free society” have to do with this issue at all.
When I am not feeling cynical I might think BMW removed the black out of respect to those who lost their lives, or who lost a loved one. If I am feeling more cynical, I’d believe BMW removed the black out of fear of backlash from paying customer sfor their sensitivity.
Obviously BMW is free to keep it black or change it. So freedom doesn’t have anything to do with it.
Political correctness has nothing to do with it. It’s simple good PR business.
So your statement does not make any sense at all, doesn’t it?
Try again …
So you get to be the arbiter of behavior in a free society? Sounds great!
Or maybe whoever is paid to make such decisions at BMW made one. In a free society, there should be nothing wrong with that.
Such tragic loss and inexplicable. A fitting gesture by BMW. My thoughts and prayers to all the victims and their families and to all of mankind.
What does batman livery have to do with a mass shooting? How is that paying respect? Should everyone refrain from watching any DC comics related movies for the next week? Perhaps no going to a movie theater for month, only watching DVDs at home, to show respect? It was an evil act by a person in CO that cost people their lives, but I don’t see Team BMW’s logic unless they were just trying to grab some headlines by piggybacking on this tragedy by the thinnest of excuses.
+1
Bingo! free publicity. that is what these wankers are getting. respect? please! since when did the big business care about someone’s feelings? lawsuits and loss of profit: that is what they’re afraid of.