BMW Angers Owners With Unskippable Spider-Man Ads on Dashboard Screens

BMW owners have found that starting their car now triggers a full-screen advertisement for the film "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" on the infotainment display. The notification arrives automatically, and tapping it plays a 19-second animation with music and a light show via the ambient lighting system.

The campaign began on July 27 and runs through August 10. It spans more than 70 markets and affects vehicles built after July 2020 with BMW Operating System 7 or newer. Owners on Reddit voiced their frustration: one called it "classless and tacky" for a car costing over $100,000, another called it "disgusting." Users have asked for an opt-out button and worry that more ads will appear in the future.

The situation draws comparisons to 2014, when Apple pushed the U2 album "Songs of Innocence" onto all iTunes users. Apple initially offered no way to decline or delete the album, sparking widespread backlash, and eventually added a deletion tool.

BMW itself issued a press release in late July calling the campaign an "exclusive Spider-Man animation" and a "special surprise" for drivers. The statement said that starting the car brings up a special banner, and clicking it activates a full-screen festive animation with matching music and a light show. The notification is sent automatically to compatible vehicles, but owners can avoid the animation simply by not tapping it. The promo has also been added to the Festive app.