Don't be caught dead on a BMW Motorcycle

This Ad works because it cuts into the heart of what it is to be a Hells Angel. They are notorious for causing mayhem. Their famous motto is: “When we do right nobody remembers, when we do wrong nobody forgets.” Nowadays they have been known to do quite a lot of good but their reputation definitely precedes them. To see a Hells Angel Motorcyclist sitting in a confession chamber pondering over his confession is such a powerful image.

BMW Motorcycles lack one thing: Street cred. The majority of bike fanatics wouldn’t be caught dead on a BMW Motorcycle, and the ones that are definitely don’t belong to any bike gangs.

I really love this photograph. I saw the expression in his eyes way before I saw anything else, so it leaves the rest of the image and the headline to drive the point home even further.

Imagine him saying to the priest: “Forgive me father, I am considering buying a BMW Motorcycle. I have been having sleepless nights, it is not the sin that frightens me, it is my brothers. They will slaughter me if they see me on the streets. I’m thinking of riding to Mexico.”

I used to own a Suzuki Bandit 400 and for the brief time I felt like I was part of a brotherhood, I met other motorcyclists wherever I went. There is a bond that ties all motorcyclists together unless you own a BMW Motorbike, in which case you don’t even receive a nod from passing bikers.