BMW’s Hilarious Super Bowl Ad Recalls Life at the Dawn of the Internet


On that fateful day in 1994, Bryant Gumbel and Katie Couric were seated side by side on the set of The Today Show, attempting to sort out the translation of the “@” symbol. It was between takes, and Gumbel and Couric wondered aloud what in the world that symbol was supposed to mean. At? Around? About? A puzzle for the ages, indeed.


Then, as if as a gift to the Ghost of YouTube Future, Gumbel uttered the words that would—somewhat ironically—become internet gold: “What is internet anyway? What, do you write to it like mail?”


It was a simpler time.


Now, BMW is using this little gem of recent history in a hilarious new Superbowl commercial promoting its i3 electric vehicle. Titled “Newfangled idea,” the ingenious ad juxtaposes the 21-year-old clip of Gumbel and Couric with a scene of the twosome driving along in the present day, trying to figure out how the electric vehicle works.


It’s a nice encapsulation of the i3’s tagline: “Big ideas take a little getting used to.” But it also shows how far we’ve come in just 20 short years.



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