Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, or BMW, is a car manufacturer from Germany, founded in 1916.
Best known as the company that makes luxury vehicles, BMW make cars that have distinct styling at their grille, their 'kidney grille'.
The particular part is so unique in the design of BMW car models that it's hard to picture a car from the company without these dual openings at the front.
This is also why BMW kept the kidney grille's presence in its electric vehicles, which don't "breathe" oxygen to run and don't require conventional cooling for their engines.
BMW does this because the kidney grille has planted themselves as an iconic element for the company's styling, a nod to the automaker's design history.
According to BMW's website, its signature kidney grille has been around since 1933, and since then, the famous design has been changed numerous times. They have become larger, and also noticeably humongous when BMW introduced the 2019 X7/7 Series, and also significantly taller starting the 2020 4 Series.
The radical design created controversies, with two polarizing sides between fans and haters.
But even before the heated debate that also involves purists ceased, BMW introduced the 2022 BMW iX, an all-electric 5-passenger SUV that again showcase a pair of huge vertical kidney grille.
This time, instead of just letting the complaints happen and go, BMW is defending its cars' design, especially the electric iX.
And that, is by using a marketing campaign called “What’s your reason not to change?”
BMW knew that its controversial grille design will have polarizing effect on people. BMW also knew that lots of people will get offended and started complaining.
These are the reasons why the company got out, and dive straight down in front of the criticism by launching the campaign to defend its car’s looks.
The German automaker that is headquartered in Munich, started replying to comments, and even used the phrase “OK Boomer” on Twitter, to defend its design against a barrage of complaints about the vehicle's rather buck-toothed, squirrel-like grille.
BMW is keen on defending the iX to 'Boomers' who are more likely have more money than younger generations, and more likely to buy a spacious SUV instead of a driver-oriented and sportier compact executive car.
OK, Boomer.
And what’s your reason not to change?
The first-ever BMW iX.https://t.co/NhWosxWcxK#NEXTGen #THEiX pic.twitter.com/5Fvndzlzvi— BMW (@BMW) November 15, 2020
On its campaign, BMW wrote that:
But the truth is: It’s always easier to find a reason not to. It might not be the best time for you right now, or perhaps you find yourself in the wrong place. You might think that technology still hasn’t reached its peak, or that the design looks strange.
This also means that we want to openly talk about change with our most honest critics: you.
We don’t wish to shut down your criticism. Instead we want to meet you in dialogue. That’s how we achieve a new level of transparency. Together.
It should be noted that BMW is known to have changed the design of its grille numerous times in the past.
While most BMW cars in existence have a more horizontally-designed kidney grille, older cars, like the 303, the 503, the 1500 and its sister models, had vertical grille.
The grille was rather squared in the M1 and the original 8 Series.
BMW has also showcased some controversial grille designs in the past, like in the NEXT (2018), and the BMW Vision M NEXT.
