• by Karl Greenberg , May 8, 2009

An art project of immense proportions, part of which was exhibited in New York's Grand Central Terminal in March, is central to a campaign for the 2010 BMW Z4 Roadster. The campaign -- "Expression of Joy," launching this week -- features the making of a painting the size of two football fields in which a pair of BMW Roadsters served as the brushes.

The effort, which comprises video content, outdoor, print and mobile elements, is also the first to use MSN.com's expandable video unit that lets viewers see ads in full-screen mode. The Woodcliff Lake, N.J. automaker will launch the online effort with a full-page takeover of MSN.com today, including a 30-second spot and a 30-minute documentary about the making of the spot.

The campaign, via Austin, Texas-based GSD&M Idea City, mixes the talents of artist Robin Rhode and filmmaker Jake Scott, both involved in the March BMW art show at Grand Central. For the ads, Scott filmed Rhode creating art using two Z4 Roadsters with paint dispensers mounted behind the wheels to create an immense painting.

Scott's video capture of the event is the basis of the creative. The documentary aired on Discovery HD Theater on Saturday and will be followed by network airings this month and next. BMW is also working with TiVo to let TiVo users preview and record it for later viewing.

The online campaign uses Scott's video assets in banners running from now until the end of June on news, business and lifestyle sites like CNN, Dow Jones, Yahoo, Wired and Conde Nast. The 30-second ad will run both online and on prime time TV.

David Matathia, VP/Idea Team Director at GSD&M Idea City, says the idea for the art focus came from BMW's long-running Art Car program. "Historically, the car has been the canvas, but we arrived at this idea of using the cars as the brushes," he says. "While the original idea was to use the car to create artwork, over time, our thinking evolved from the final product to the process, and thus, the collaboration."

Matathia says that framing the introduction of the new car around creation of new art created a new vertical for the Z. "I think to some extent a roadster, because of the nature of the driving experience, has appeal to the enthusiast -- someone comfortable with the elements, with feeling a connection with the road. But bringing art to it allows celebration of a different side to it, and an appeal to someone who wouldn't likely consider a roadster. It also allows us into new channels such as art-enthusiast publications, where a roadster wouldn't go."

In addition to magazines like Esquire and W, ads will also run in shelter and art books like Art & Antiques, ArtNews, Dwell and Elle Décor. The print campaign includes an eight-page photo feature in the June issue of Vanity Fair written and photographed by actor Dennis Hopper and a cover page takeover in the June issue of Dwell.

Matathia says Hopper's insert was a result of his deciding to attend the day of painting and shoot his own pictures. "He got wind of the idea and was inspired by it, so he went to the event and almost in a special-correspondent role for Vanity Fair, shot with his own camera." He is also in the documentary. "We were fortunate to get him to endorse the project because of his fascination with art."

Finally, an out-of-home campaign for the Z4 roadster will run in 10 airports in key markets. The billboards show representations of Rhode's piece with images of the car and headlines like "Expressionism meets Exhilaration," and "Not all artists are depressed."