BMW Runs Branded Spider-Man Animation on Car Control Displays
2026-08-06 · via DailyDOOH
BMW has pushed a branded animation tied to the Sony Pictures film "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" onto the Control Displays of participating vehicles, a move that puts in-car infotainment screens squarely into the conversation about new out-of-home advertising surfaces.
According to BMW, the promotion ties into the film's plot, which features the new BMW iX3 and the BMW 5 Series Sedan. Drivers in more than 70 countries with vehicles running BMW Operating System 7, 8, 8.5, 9 or OS X, built after July 2020, and fitted with the relevant optional equipment, see a banner on startup between 27 July and 10 August. Tapping the banner triggers a full-screen animation on the Control Display with music and a synchronized ambient lighting show, BMW says.
BMW's own marketing language calls the promotion both an "animation" and, on its website, an "ad," a choice of words that DailyDOOH notes has drawn criticism on social media. The company's original campaign copy described it more neutrally as an "Exclusive Spider-Man animation available in many BMW vehicles."
Why this matters for screen operators
For anyone who runs digital signage or DOOH inventory, the notable part is not the film tie-in itself but the surface: a manufacturer pushing opt-in branded content to a screen the owner did not choose to display it on, inside a vehicle they paid for. The interaction model, requiring a tap to activate rather than auto-playing, is the mechanism BMW appears to be using to head off complaints about unsolicited advertising on a paid product.
The announcement does not say whether BMW was paid for the placement, how many vehicles or markets actually saw the banner, or whether this is a one-off promotional tie-in or the start of a recurring ad product on BMW's Control Display and Operating System platform. It also does not address opt-out mechanisms beyond simply not tapping the banner.
As vehicle dashboards, especially in EVs, carry larger and more capable displays, automakers have an obvious commercial incentive to treat those screens as media inventory rather than pure utility interfaces. This campaign, whether or not it is technically the first example of in-car branded content, is a visible test of how consumers react to that shift, and the backlash noted in the original report suggests the audience reaction is not settled. Anyone building a case for connected-vehicle screens as a DOOH channel should watch how BMW frames future campaigns, and whether it keeps the tap-to-activate model or moves toward more automatic placements.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from DailyDOOH for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
Is This The First In-Car #OOH? (BMW Spider-Man ‘Animation’)
In the new Sony Pictures film ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’, the latest instalment in one of the world’s most successful film franchises, the new BMW iX3 (their first car built on the dedicated Neue Klasse EV platform) and the BMW 5 Series Sedan are both woven into the plot of the film itself.
As part of the promotion BMW drivers in many markets are able to access a special Spider-Man animation on their Control Display which has caused some consternation on social media.
Perhaps some of the language from BMW hasn’t helped their cause, we quote from their web site “With great power comes great responsibility, and BMW is using that power to beam ‘Spider-Man’ ads into its cars “.
BMW actually call it both an ‘amimation’ and an ‘ad’ (I think it is the thought of a banner ad that is troublesome to many) and they should probably have stuck with the original marketing spiel “Exclusive Spider-Man animation available in many BMW vehicles” .
To celebrate the partnership with Spider-Man™: Brand New Day, BMW has a special surprise for its drivers. The Spider-Man™ Animation will be available (in participating markets) to all customers with suitably equipped vehicles from 27 July to 10 August. Starting the car brings up a special banner in the Control Display. Clicking on it then activates the Spider-Man animation, comprising a full-screen festive animation in the Control Display with aptly chosen backing music and an accompanying light show courtesy of the ambient lighting system. These festive animations will be available in more than 70 countries worldwide for vehicles equipped with the relevant optional equipment and BMW Operating System 7, 8, 8.5, 9 or BMW Operating System X, as well as a production date after 7/2020.
The animation / ad banner reads “Surprise! Spider-Man just dropped into your BMW!” and tapping the ad triggers a full-screen animation that plays across the Control Display, the main center screen, while the car’s ambient lighting changes color in sync.
Personally I think this is quite clever, the driver and / or car’s occupants are shown a simple ad (sorry, an ‘animation’) and given a choice whether to interact or not.
With more and more visual display screens in automobiles these days (especially EVs of course) it is likely that we will see more of this, despite what online detractors may think.
To see the Spider-Man animation/advertisement on a BMW infotainment screen, the vehicle needs a production date after July 2020, compatible BMW Operating System 7, 8, 8.5, 9, or BMW Operating System X, and the relevant optional ambient lighting and Control Display equipment
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