BMW’s “0 to Desire in 5.9 Seconds” contest was a really, really, REALLY tough one to win. Contestants had 6 seconds (It takes a BMW 3 Series 5.9 seconds to reach 60 MPH) to explain why they desired a new 3-Series. Because it was so easy to enter, the company got about 1,500 submissions! They picked 30 (pretty damn good) and then the ultimate winner was picked via a lengthy online vote. Or at least, that’s how the winner was supposed to be determined. There was some fine print in the rules that said the judges could use the public vote to choose the winner or they could totally ignore the voting and just pick their favorite. No one will ever know how the winner was actually selected but I’m guessing the judges just went with the one that got the most votes:
Winner. Prize: A new BMW 3-Series (AVR $38,000):
The winning video seemed to contain clips from a professional BMW commercial but I guess the judges were cool with that. It was still pretty funny and well made and for once “the public” actually picked a great winner. Still, it wasn’t even the best video in the finals. Here’s my favorite finalist:
Now THAT guy really knows how to make the most of 6 seconds!
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Not sure how this video even made it as a finalist. I agree with the author completely. The winner used shots in his 6 sec video that he DID NOT shoot or produce! After reading through the official rules, it states that the entirety of your entry has to be created by you, the contestant. It would be like entering “submit your own video contest” for Budweiser and including clips from a Budweiser commercial featuring Clydesdales in your video entry. Someone at BMW was asleep at the wheel!
Dominic,
Hmm, I hadn’t seen that bit in the rules. But once a winner had been picked there is no way to un-pick them. So unless people want to start hirig lawyers, the contest is over and folks should just accept that. However, if another finalist had noticed the use of the commercial footage and complained during the voting this video probably would have been disqualified.
Here are the terms I was referring to:
6. Entry Terms: Entries may only be submitted by a single registered User. [...] By entering, each Entrant represents and warrants that he or she has obtained all of the rights, licenses, and permissions in writing [...]for any material or elements that are not owned by the Entrant, and/or which are subject to the rights of third parties prior to the submission of the Entry; that his or her Entry conforms to these Official Rules, and that the Entry:
(i) is the original work of the Entrant;
Anyways, your absolutely right in stating what’s done is done. I just feel it was a shady move on Marden-Kane (the contest holder) and BMW.
Kinda throws everything back in the face of all the contestants who worked so hard to obey the rules. I can’t believe BMW didn’t even look at their own rules.