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‘This Is Not Cool’ — BMW Owners Are Annoyed Over a New Spider-Man Ad Forced Into Their Cars
BMW has begun forcing a promotional advert for the film Spider-Man: Brand New Day onto the infotainment systems of recent car models, sparking complaints from owners who see it as an unwelcome intrusion. On starting the car, drivers are shown a message saying Spider-Man has "dropped into your BMW," and clicking it plays an advert followed by a QR code directing users to a page for configuring a new BMW iX3. The tie-in stems from a scene in the film in which a BMW driver uses sport mode to help Spider-Man pursue villains, but the unsolicited nature of the marketing has drawn criticism online.
On Reddit, owners have branded the move "dystopian," comparing it to Apple's much-criticised automatic addition of a U2 album to iPhones in 2014, and have called for tighter regulation of in-car advertising. Although the ad and its accompanying Spider-Man app can be skipped or ignored, critics worry it sets a precedent that could make such intrusions harder to avoid in future. This is not the first time BMW has faced backlash over its approach to features on owned vehicles: the firm previously offered heated seats via a paid subscription before scrapping the scheme following widespread customer anger.
In short
- BMW pushed a Spider-Man film advert onto owners' infotainment screens
- Ad links to a QR code promoting a new BMW iX3 purchase
- Owners call it "dystopian," recalling Apple's forced U2 album backlash
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
BMW's approach reflects standard digital advertising practices increasingly common across consumer technology; the promotional content stems from a legitimate product placement partnership in a major film, and notifying owners through an easily dismissible notification is consistent with how smartphones, smart televisions, and other owned devices operate, where advertising partnerships fund services and features that benefit users.
The case against
Vehicle owners purchasing personal property should retain exclusive control over their device's interface, and inserting unsolicited advertisements into owned vehicles represents an unacceptable erosion of consumer autonomy; given BMW's documented attempts to monetise basic features through subscriptions, normalising such intrusions establishes a troubling precedent that manufacturers may increasingly colonise personal devices unless customers pay premium prices to avoid advertising and reclaim fundamental ownership rights.
Explained simply
Modern BMWs use an infotainment system to display information and run connected services on a screen in the car. Carmakers can also use these systems to deliver software updates and promotional material, including adverts linked to films or other products.
BMW is a German carmaker, and Spider-Man is a Marvel superhero whose films have featured branded products. BMW has previously faced criticism for offering some features, such as heated seats, through paid subscriptions, raising questions about how much control owners have over functions in cars they have bought. In-car advertising matters because drivers may have limited choice over what appears on a screen built into their vehicle.