B M W M O T O R R A D
'Heritage Road: An episodic series featuring the Buffalo Soldiers Troopers and Motorcycle Club.
ep3: Beemer
ep1: Iron Horses
case study
The morning of Blackout Tuesday 🔳 2020, I was asked by BMW Motorrad’s US marketing team if they should post a black square. They hadn’t done any work internally or externally that addressed racial disparity to date, and if they made this gesture without making a real commitment to change, this would be seen as merely a performative act, unless they followed with real concrete actions.
Motorrad was slated to launch one of the company’s most ambitious products in years, the R18, a throwback cruiser targeting Harley Davidson riders, historically white American middle aged men. This presented another challenge, as their early bikes are associated with Nazi Germany.
Enter The Buffalo Soldiers.
We came across two black members of a motorcycle club who were devoted BMW riders. “Beemer” was the biker name of the VP of their MC and his neophyte (of no blood relation) was “S.O.B” (Son Of Beemer).
They ride with the Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle and Troopers Club, a national group of black riders (predominantly ex-police or military) and are devoted to help bridge the relationship between the black community and law enforcement by tackling poverty and inequality. This presented us with a perfect opportunity to forge a new history and change some perceptions and behaviors in the process.
By way of our first traveling-Covid-safe-documentary-shoot we followed our heroes on a tribute ride, their ‘Heritage Road’. A trip from the clubs hometown to West Point, where the original Buffalo Soldiers are highly regarded for teaching white cadets their mastery of horsemanship.
Learning about these men’s ambitions and commitment to our communities and our nation made us all better human beings. “Beemer” a decorated 💜 Vietnam Vet and nationally awarded high school principal, was full of priceless wisdom and charm.
Every collaborator involved was inspired. We worked with the Library of Congress to find archival imagery, and an artist who specialized in painting recreations of the original soldiers. We curated a spectrum of black music spanning American history. We even recreated the original folk song “keep your hand on the plow” that became “keep your eyes on the prize”.
There are rare moments in this business that transcend the work and become something else, something that builds culture and community. This work was recognized by the American Advertising Federation's Mosaic Awards which commends companies, agencies and individuals whose commitment to diversity and inclusion is evident through their work and organization-wide initiatives.
I don’t think we could have scripted more topical heroes and I’m so proud of the clients for embracing and honoring these men for their efforts.
