Case Study:
Bismarck Motor Company: Drive-Thru
Category
Narrative
Launched
Aug. 2025
Runtimes
30s, 15s
Seen On
📺📱💻
At a Glance
Bismarck Motor Company (BMC) set out to challenge the traditional, high-pressure perception of car dealerships by proving that buying a vehicle can be as simple and stress-free as ordering a meal.
Launched in August 2025, the “Drive-Thru” campaign used a series of 30 and 15-second narrative spots to bridge the gap between an everyday convenience and a major life purchase.
By constructing a hyper-realistic fast-food environment entirely within a studio, we were able to capture a lighthearted, relatable story that centered on the ease of the BMC customer experience.
What They Wanted
The primary objective was to highlight BMC’s brand promise: Buy a car like you buy everything else.
Bismarck Motor Company wanted the content to be engaging and humorous without leaning into the “cheesy” tropes often found in automotive advertising.
While the campaign needed to feature a Volkswagen as the hero vehicle, the ultimate goal was to sell a feeling rather than just a car.
It was vital that the tone remained positive by not “throwing shade” at competitors.
The Process
To bring this “fake world” to life, our team focused on intensive, studio-controlled world-building.
We began by constructing the full drive-thru set several days in advance, ensuring the main structure was ready a full week before the cameras rolled.
This allowed our lighting and camera teams to spend ample time finessing the “nighttime” aesthetic and blocking scenes with precision.
Creating an authentic environment means focusing on the smallest details—dulling down the clean studio floors to look like weathered concrete, adding a fake curb with street debris, and installing a false gutter. We even layered in sign reflections and a simulated streetlight to ground the scene in reality.
Our Approach
Success for this project relied on the deep level of trust we have built with Bismarck Motor Company over several previous campaigns.
This partnership gave us the creative freedom to take risks, particularly with the casting and the production environment.
We chose to build the set in-studio rather than filming at a physical location to maintain total control over the variables.
This strategic decision allowed us to film a “night” scene between 10:00 AM and 5:00 PM, providing a much more efficient schedule for the client, talent and the crew.
To elevate the script from paper to performance, we cast regional talent known for their natural comedic timing. This ensured the humor would feel organic and the final delivery remained polished and professional.Â
The detailed studio set paired with a finely crafted script allowed us to focus on the moment, capturing the best takes during production.
Behind the Scenes: On Set
The Final Product
But that's
not all!
Our previous ads with BMC looked good enough that people kept thinking they were made out-of-state!
As a fun add-on, we also created a behind-the-scenes partnership video for the campaign.
This was a great opportunity to pull back the curtain and show the local talent and craftsmanship behind the scenes.
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