Henry Ehlers
BMW R 63
In 1928, the quality of BMW advertising reached new levels. The reason for this was initially of an organisational kind. With the establishment of a so-called “Central Advertising Office”, BMW attributed a higher degree of significance to advertising. Shortly after that, Henry Ehlers, an acknowledged commercial artist from Munich, was commissioned with the design of communication media. One of his first designs was the poster “Präzision” (Precision) shown here. It features a BMW logo clamped in a micrometer, a measuring tool. Not the product but its development and manufacturing quality is used prominently as a sales argument. The BMW R 63 pictured next to it is a decorative feature. The statement is clear: Whatever product the customer chooses, he or she can expect the highest level of “precision” from BMW. No wonder this visually powerful motif was used by the BMW Central Advertising Office as a master template – as a poster or even in a three-dimensional version it adorned booths, exhibition halls and dealership display windows as well as racing machine transportation trucks. The standardisation of BMW advertising began at this point.
