However, on account of its social status, it is precisely this group which would present an ideal target for BMW advertising. They too are hardly reached by product placement. For this reason product placement can't be advertising, but it can be an important image instrument that enables us to present our cars in an interesting setting to a public of millions. Advertising is the deliberate formulation of product advantages in a carefully selected medium. This doesn't apply to product placement.
Companies have almost no opportunity of integrating any product information into a movie.
Films are offered to car manufacturers because a script writer, director or film producer is of the opinion that this or that BMW vehicle would fit ideally into a certain role. Back in 1983 in Octopussy, the police had BMW 5 Series cars and a BMW motorcycle and were in pursuit of James Bond as he drove at a breakneck speed through the streets of Berlin. In 1994 a decision was reached for the Z3 Roadster to be James Bond's official car in GoldenEye. It was the first German car that Bond drove as his official car. Important factors in the decision making process included the recent purchase of the Rover Group and the Z3 was produced in Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA which gave the car an international character.