BMW apologizes for sponsoring a deadly weather system

Germany’s meteorology institute lets brands ‘adopt a vortex.’ BMW did this—and its storm has been blamed for more than 100 deaths in Europe.

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Apparently BMW failed to ask that.

If it had asked what could go wrong with buying the naming rights for a weather system, an obvious answer would have been: Well, if the weather system is especially severe, people could die and our brand name would be inadvertently linked with any accompanying stories.

It just so happens that Germany’s meteorology institute allows brands to sponsor weather systems. BMW did this, and now the storm “Cooper” (as in Mini Cooper, which BMW manufactures) is being blamed for 100 deaths in Poland and Ukraine.

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