Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Olympics + 3 Series + Free Service: Enough for BMW to keep luxe lead in 2012?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/10/olympics-3-series-free-service-enough-for-bmw-to-keep-luxe/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/10/olympics-3-series-free-service-enough-for-bmw-to-keep-luxe/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/05/10/olympics-3-series-free-service-enough-for-bmw-to-keep-luxe/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

BMW Ultimate Service -- Married

BMW has long had an advantage over Mercedes-Benz and Lexus when it comes to maintenance and ownership costs that it has hardly ever advertised - free maintenance for the first four years of ownership. The secret will be no more as the company is about to unleash a major ad push behind the program known as BMW Ultimate Service.

The ads, done by BMW's ad agency, Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners, which took BMW's whole ad account assignment last August, are set inside a BMW dealership and draw on comedy to depict the surprise and even incredulity that four years of free maintenance comes with every new Bimmer. In one spot, for example, a woman thinks the promise of free maintenance is a come-on, and she reminds the salesman that she is married. In another spot, a man buying a BMW thinks he has to give the salesman sports tickets in order to get the deal.

BMW's marketing chief Dan Creed says the ad campaign, for which there are 27 different possible endings to the vignettes between salesman and customer, is timed right for a market of luxury buyers, which, though seemingly fully recovered from the economic death march of 2008-2010, is still looking for value along with their luxury.

"The expectation and widely held belief that BMW has very expensive maintenance costs is still a big factor in why people bypass us when shopping, and we think we have a very efficient way of changing that perception here," says Creed. "Mercedes, Lexus, and our other competitors don't have this, and we are going to use it as a meaningful point of difference."

Scroll down below for more on BMW's upcoming ads and to watch the videos.

Continue reading Olympics + 3 Series + Free Service: Enough for BMW to keep luxe lead in 2012?

Olympics + 3 Series + Free Service: Enough for BMW to keep luxe lead in 2012? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 May 2012 15:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>bmwbmw adBMW Maintenancebmw servicebmw ultimate serviceultimate serviceThu, 10 May 2012 15:59:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20234973/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/05/10/olympics-3-series-free-service-enough-for-bmw-to-keep-luxe/20234973/article-detail.xml 20234973 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/05/bmw-ultimate-service_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/05/bmw-ultimate-service.jpg <![CDATA[BMW entering Super Bowl fray with two spots for new 3 Series]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/03/bmw-entering-super-bowl-fray-with-two-spots-for-new-3-series/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/03/bmw-entering-super-bowl-fray-with-two-spots-for-new-3-series/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/03/bmw-entering-super-bowl-fray-with-two-spots-for-new-3-series/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,

BMW Super Bowl Commercial

In crafting its Super Bowl strategy, BMW cribbed a page from the Suzuki playbook. (Have we ever been able to say that before?) The Bavarian brand will be airing two regional commercials on Sunday, one in New York and the other in the Los Angeles area, both promoting the new 2012 3 Series.

The east coast ad promotes the Bimmer's heated steering wheel, of all the mundane features. But the SoCal spot showing off BMW Connected Drive's e-mail-reading ability is pretty darn funny, even if it is stereotypical mother-in-law humor. BMW has also created four additional commercials that it says will soon be appearing online on streaming sites like Hulu.

What's most notable here is that in none of the clips do we actually see The Ultimate Driving Machine driving, though we do see kids, a dog and twin babies.

Click past the jump to see all the videos and read the press release.

Continue reading BMW entering Super Bowl fray with two spots for new 3 Series

BMW entering Super Bowl fray with two spots for new 3 Series originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2012 bmw 3 series3 seriesbmwbmw adbmw advertisementbmw commercialbmw super bowlconnected drivesuper bowlFri, 03 Feb 2012 14:58:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20164069/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/02/03/bmw-entering-super-bowl-fray-with-two-spots-for-new-3-series/20164069/article-detail.xml 20164069 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/02/bmwspot-opt_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/02/bmwspot-opt.jpg <![CDATA[AdSpotting: BMW 5 Series "Refuel" reintroduces us to The Ultimate Driving Machine]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/29/adspotting-bmw-5-series-refuel-reintroduces-us-to-the-ultimat/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/29/adspotting-bmw-5-series-refuel-reintroduces-us-to-the-ultimat/http://www.autoblog.com/2011/04/29/adspotting-bmw-5-series-refuel-reintroduces-us-to-the-ultimat/#commentsFiled under: , , , , ,

BMW 5 Series Refuel ad

Company: BMWa

Brand: BMW

Medium: TV

Ad Agency: Grey West

Product: 2011 5 Series

Campaign: 5 Series "Refuel"

What We Like: The swagger is back at BMW. After more than a year of fooling around with "Joy" as a lead ad positioning, a new marketing team at the German automaker is re-emphasizing "The Ultimate Driving Machine" as the brand's central positioning. The 30-second ad contains what many BMW followers like - a fast car and a big plane. No, the plane, which looks to be a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker, is not hovering so close to the 5 that it could fill the guy's coffee cup. But the CGI is good enough to pull off the visual trick.

What We Don't Like: Not much at all. Getting a story and message across in a 30-second TV ad is not easy. But BMW and this ad agency, Grey West, did a nice job of conveying a fuel efficiency story.

Strategy: BMW marketing chief Dan Creed, who took over at BMW North America a few months ago, is all about re-affirming "The Ultimate Driving Machine" as Bimmer's main message. At the New York Auto Show, he walked us to the front of BMW's stand to look at a giant rendering of the ad slogan, which dates back to the early 1970s. At last year's show, there was a giant banner that proclaimed "Joy of Driving." "We know there is a lot of joy in driving a BMW, but we are going to show it in pictures and film rather than say it," says Creed.

It's worth noting that as fun as this ad is, the message is about the 5 Series' fuel economy, not the horsepower. BMW is trying to broaden its message to be more inclusive of men and women, as well as tell its story about its investments in the South Carolina plant that produces X3 and X5. But Creed also wants the brand and the cars to show some leg when it comes to marketing and advertising. BMW remains an exciting brand, and a premiere stable of driving machines. That shouldn't be lost when telling the broader story.

BMW is kicking off a review for a new ad agency. It parted ways with Austin-based GSD&M late last year. New York-based Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners produced last February's Super Bowl ads. Grey West, which has handled BMW's retail and pre-owned advertising since 2008, produced the ad and will presumably get a crack at the whole enchilada.

Grade: A-

Watch the commercial after the jump and give it your own grade below.

View Poll

Continue reading AdSpotting: BMW 5 Series "Refuel" reintroduces us to The Ultimate Driving Machine

AdSpotting: BMW 5 Series "Refuel" reintroduces us to The Ultimate Driving Machine originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 29 Apr 2011 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>5 series5 series refueladspottingadvertisingbmwbmw addavid kileyfeaturedgrey westrefuelFri, 29 Apr 2011 18:58:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19927973/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2011/04/29/adspotting-bmw-5-series-refuel-reintroduces-us-to-the-ultimat/19927973/article-detail.xml 19927973 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/04/bmw-5-series-refuel-ad_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2011/04/bmw-5-series-refuel-ad.jpg <![CDATA[Video: BMW turns Singapore buildings into amazing 3D Joy]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/27/video-bmw-turns-singapore-buildings-into-amazing-3d-joy/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/27/video-bmw-turns-singapore-buildings-into-amazing-3d-joy/http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/27/video-bmw-turns-singapore-buildings-into-amazing-3d-joy/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

BMW takes Singapore - Click above to watch video after the jump

BMW advertising gurus have a big job ahead of them when it comes to supplementing their longstanding "Ultimate Driving Machine" slogan with the company's new "Joy" campaign. Bimmer fanboys had lived and died by the company's proclamation of superiority for years, so it's going to take some coaxing to get BMW loyalists to swallow the new ads. Fortunately, BMW has never been one to skimp on advertising dollars, and the company has pulled a stunt in Singapore to make sure the ball gets rolling in the right direction.

BMW has used two buildings for a massive, unique 3D projection display right in the middle of downtown Suntec City. Talk about cool. Two massive hands appear to disassemble the structures and rearrange them for their own diabolical, Joy-soaked plans. You can hit the jump to see the whole shindig for yourself. Thanks for the tip, John!

[Source: YouTube via BMWBlog]

Continue reading Video: BMW turns Singapore buildings into amazing 3D Joy

Video: BMW turns Singapore buildings into amazing 3D Joy originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 May 2010 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>Advertisingbmw adbmw advertisingBMW Joybmw marketingBmwAdBmwAdvertisingBmwJoyBmwMarketingJoySingaporeSuntec CitySuntecCityThe Ultimate Driving MachineTheUltimateDrivingMachineultimate driving machineUltimateDrivingMachineThu, 27 May 2010 20:00:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19494146/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2010/05/27/video-bmw-turns-singapore-buildings-into-amazing-3d-joy/19494146/article-detail.xml 19494146 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/joy-630_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/05/joy-630.jpg <![CDATA[VIDEO: BMW's "Jump for Joy" Part 2 ends with Audi nut buster]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/05/video-bmw-jump-for-joy-ad-part-2-ends-with-audi-nut-buster/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/05/video-bmw-jump-for-joy-ad-part-2-ends-with-audi-nut-buster/http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/05/video-bmw-jump-for-joy-ad-part-2-ends-with-audi-nut-buster/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Click above to view the video after the jump

Last week, we showed you BMW's new "Jump for Joy" ad. The 1:16 video features BMW owners literally jumping into their vehicles in spectacular fashion. Decent commercial overall, but it lacked that certain zing that Audi's "Meet the Beckers" spots showed last year. Remember those Internet gems? Audi was absolutely brutal towards BMW, Mercedes and Lexus owners, and we loved every minute of it.

What we didn't know last week when we posted the original "Jump for Joy" commercial was that BMW also created an extended version of the ad, this time totaling nearly two minutes in length. The first half of the video looks a lot like the original spot, save for a bearded voyeur watching on as the BMW drivers jumped into their Bavarian g-rides. At 1:10 in, we discover that the stalker guy is, in fact, an Audi owner, and he wants to jump for joy too. Needless to say, Mr. Audi doesn't prove to be as graceful as his BMW-owning neighbors. He clumsily botches his attempt at jumping into his car, jamming his testicles in the process. Not as funny as "Meet the Beckers," perhaps, but not a bad effort at demoralizing the competition, either. Hit the jump to view the testy ad for yourself.

[Source: BMW via YouTube]

Continue reading VIDEO: BMW's "Jump for Joy" Part 2 ends with Audi nut buster

VIDEO: BMW's "Jump for Joy" Part 2 ends with Audi nut buster originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 05 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>audibmwbmw adbmw commercialBmwAdBmwCommercialjump for joyJumpForJoyMon, 05 Oct 2009 15:30:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/19184752/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2009/10/05/video-bmw-jump-for-joy-ad-part-2-ends-with-audi-nut-buster/19184752/article-detail.xml 19184752 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/10/bmw-audi-wedding-tackle-shot-630_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/10/bmw-audi-wedding-tackle-shot-630.jpg -1 2