Autoblog

Marketing campaigns are always in search of a new hook, and BMW's gotten creative to help keep the 1-Series on boil. Readers of the March 24th edition of Autoweek were treated to a smattering of tiny-Roundel factoids at the bottom of the mag's pages. Some of them might be true, while others seem entirely made up. The hard facts are naturally spot-on, but subjective impressions like back seat comfort, desirability, and a link to the 2002 are all tenuous at best. The effort is charming in its cleverness, even if we're not entirely sold on the idea that we're going to regret it if we neglect to buy a 1-Series.

[Source: AutoInsane.com]

Click above for a few images leading up to Rampfest.

As jaded pseudo-journalists, viral marketing campaigns have lost some of their grimy allure over the last few years. But BMW's latest attempt to get the masses pumped about the imminent launch of the 1-series coupe in the U.S. has so much hoontastic potential than even our oddly named friends can't ignore it.

Head on over to the fictional Bavarian village of (lemme get this right) Oberpfaffelbachen's website and you're greeted with the Oktoberfest anthem. From there, you can read up on the town's history, get a quick "Hallo" from the mayor and begin to understand the marketing ruse that BMW is launching – literally – when you check out the Rampenfest link.

The idea is simple. Build a 454 meter-high ramp that will launch the 135i over the European landscape and across the Atlantic onto U.S. shores. But the joke doesn't end there. Jeff Schultz, a (faux) documentary filmmaker, has decided to produce a movie that will cover the entire event from conception to completion, and he's been kind enough to put up a trailer of his flick to whet our appetites for the big day.

You can check out the trailer here, the filmmaker's blog here and if you're 21, female and willing to email a picture of yourself to be voted Miss Ramp (rim shot), you can enter with the rest of the contestants here.



[Source: Oberpfafelbachen via Jalopnik]