BMW has begun releasing details of "the splash it intends to make" as official automotive sponsor of the Summer Olympics, according to Diana Kurylko of AUTOMOTIVE NEWS. BMW plans "an unprecedented TV advertising assault for the brand." BMW's TV advertising "won't have an Olympic theme" but will focus on the brand's four-year/50,000-mile maintenance program, the redesigned 3-series and 6-series models and the new Gran Coupe four-door. BMW VP/Marketing Dan Creed said, "Our media spending during the Summer Games is the largest buy in BMW of North America history." Creed added, "Just about every car in our product range will be seen in our Summer Games commercials." BMW's print advertising will feature 11 U.S. Olympic hopefuls the company said that it is sponsoring. BMW would not reveal details of its contracts with athletes. The company has also made available its technical resources to help U.S. athletes "analyze and boost their performance." BMW's Group Technology Office in Palo Alto, Calif., uses "stereo-vision, robotics and various software to measure the performance of track and field and swimming participants" (AUTOMOTIVE NEWS, 6/25).
