BMW Films

Bayerische Motoren Werke (BMW) AG was founded as an aircraft engine manufacturer in

1916. The company has produced its very first automobile in 1929. By 1972, they launched
the 5 series BMW mid-range sedan followed by the 3-series BMW entry-level sedan and the
7 series flagship sedan in late 70s. In the late 70s, it became the hottest luxury brands in
North America. Market shift and sales tumbled by 1980. BMW focused on non – traditional
campaigns like BMW films which aims to target young professionals who aim to drive not
just luxury but also style. They positioned differently from conventional luxury automobile
manufacturers like Mercedes, etc by offering style with luxury. Their target group is more
tech savvy, hence they concentrated on upgrading their cars continually with features like one
touch windows and cup holders. A lot of factors led to the success of such non-tradition
campaigns like BMW Films like the originality of the non- traditional campaign ideas which
broke the clutter and seek attention through witty ideas. These films were a great source of
generating conversations and customer retention.

BMW needs to come up with a unique advertisement strategy that can help them establish
their brand loyalty in minds of their current and future customers. With no new product
launches for the coming six months, The auto manufacturer needs to improve brand loyalty to
ensure growth in market share. Also, it needs to compete with its own benchmark of creative
marketing campaigns in order to out-do itself and create a great marketing campaign. Lexus
was giving a tough time to BMW by having a cheaper and fresh luxury image than BMW and
thus penetrated more aggressively in the market.

By the end of 2000, the vice president of the marketing department of the company Jim
McDowell decided to make short films on the product of the company. The management of
the company was now thinking about creating their relationships more and stronger with their
existing consumers and to grab the attention of new ones.

The marketing team of the company was not in favour of using traditional advertising and
promotion as there was no new launch of BMW’s product. The aim of the company was to
alter the traditional perception of individuals about the BMW, and this can be done by
making amendments in the communication mix. After that, the BMW came up with the idea
of BMW films after realizing that there are many individuals that are not only murmured
about the superlative performance of the brand and altered the behaviours of potential and
existing customers. The big idea of these films was not making people buy the brand rather,
making long-term relationship with them.

After deliberation BMW decided to launch a viral marketing campaign, which would feature
their flagship 7 series. This was done to amplify the shift in marketing that BMW must
undertake in order to stay competitive and relevant in the context of new age marketing. They
are most likely to have their driving licenses not long ago and are also in the age when they
are likely to be easily influenced by the masculinity and vigor displayed in the movies. In all
fairness, they are likely to be awe-struck at the idea of their dads’ vehicle being shown
performing the bold stunts and driving through the busy city at an incredible speed without
crashing. These images are likely to develop an adrenaline rush in these young audiences,
who are highly impressionable and may want to try out the same themselves when they are
on the road alone, without the presence of an experienced driver with them. This may
eventually result in an increase in the number of road accidents due to rash and negligent
driving, endangering the lives of hundreds of such new drivers who have a BMW or any
other luxury vehicle in their garage. This is one of the primary risks associated with
producing such content, which, although aimed simply at bringing to light a new product in
the BMW product line, may develop a feeling in the minds of the younger audience of
wanting to try the stunts themselves. Therefore, BMW wanted to target the customer segment
which was the most dominant in purchasing their product, which were young people who
want driving to be one of the most pleasurable experiences of their day. The target segment
for these films consisted of people below the age of 40, who may or may not be married and
who like to do an extensive online research before buying a car.
The whole concept of BMW Films was not to promote the brand directly, but to capture the
attention of the viewer, after which the product was slyly slid into the storyline when the
viewer was completely focused on the film. Speaking about the effectiveness of spends, it
would be safe to say that the new concept was very much worth every penny that was
invested by the company. Apart from reaching the target audience extensively, it completely
transformed the image that the company had in the minds of the consumers and had a
significant positive impact, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The films still continue to be
a proof of how thinking out-of-the-box can propel a company’s growth and lead it to greater
heights to ensure its sustainability in the competitive business world