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Client: BMW Group Campaign: SUNSET BLVD Locations: Germany, Italy, United Kingdom

The Business Situation

With the 1 Series Convertible, BMW launched their first premium convertible in the compact class. However, the conditions were anything but sunny: the convertible market in Europe had dropped for the fourth year in a row. New competitors increased the pressure in the segment. Just one month before BMW, Audi launched a premium cabriolet as well (Audi A3), even though they decided against pushing their newest model with a major campaign. On top of this, BMW faced the threat of cannibalisation: Audi wasn't the main competitor, but BMW's own, very successful 3 Series Convertible. To be successful BMW had to trigger excitement about driving a convertible and the cabriolet feeling itself – and, at the same time, attract new buyer groups to avoid any cannibalising effects.

The Objectives

Business Objectives

• Avoid cannibalisation by winning new buyers
• Combined numbers of registrations for the BMW 3 Series Convertible plus the 1 Series Convertible to significantly exceed the 2009 figures for the 3 Series Convertible alone

Communication Objectives

• Make the audience eager to drive a convertible again
• Generate major awareness for the campaign and build product interest

Target Audience

The BMW 1 Series Convertible is built for a young audience who lead their lives with confidence, style and a constant aspiration to achieve more. Performance is important to them, but so are elegance and appearance. Overall, they are looking for ways to express their freedom, to act impulsively and spontaneously. Since their season is the summer, the new BMW 1 Series Convertible is a perfect answer to their search for freedom.

Creative Strategy

In March, the dark months of winter slowly drew to a close. BMW gave people what they were yearning for: summer, sun and a bit of cheer. So, all over Europe BMW turned the dark, wet streets into a symbol of summer and sun: SUNSET BLVD. The epitome of showbiz, glamour and fun matched the joy of living. And the new BMW 1 Series Convertible delivered on the promise: Bringing summer to every street.

Media Allocation

TV | Print | Interactive/online| Out-of-home | Ambient

The campaign competed against all other media content that courted the audience's attention. With this in mind a media strategy was laid out that was bound to get attention and made people a part of the story.

Phase 1: The Build-up.

Teams fanned out to rename 5,000 streets in major cities all over Europe. So, when people went to work on the following cold and grey days, they found themselves walking on SUNSET BLVD.

Phase 2: Call for Action.

Virals bid for imitation. Ambient media offered the means to do so. Beyond this, the first print flight hit the magazines: a SUNSET BLVD sign surrounded by a cut-out line and the call to action: Get your street ready.

Phase 3: Lifting the Curtain

Finally, as the streets were prepared, BMW rolled out an above-the-line campaign to reach the masses. Print ads and TVCs revealed the new BMW 1 Series Convertible, underlining and emotionalising BMW's promise: "Bringing summer to every street".

Evidence of Results

Attention

• Enormous press response to the guerrilla idea of phase 1 that reached millions of readers and viewers all over Europe via free coverage in a single day
• Number of unique visitors to the BMW 1 Series Convertible website exceeded the target of 160,000 by over 68%
• SUNSET BLVD scored tremendously in likeability, ranking among the top 25% campaigns of Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz of the past few years

Sales

• The campaign won new customers without cannibalisation: Within the first seven months BMW achieved more than 11,000 registrations for the 1 Series Convertible, while registrations for the 3 Series Convertible stayed at an equally high level as in the year before (cf. Figure 1)

Efficiency

• Due to SUNSET BLVD, BMW spent 11% less to sell one unit compared to the successful 2007 3 Series Convertible campaign (cf. Figure 2)

• Media spend for SUNSET BLVD was 34% lower to reach an equal level of awareness as the former 3 Series Convertible campaign

-- Franz Gil, Campaign Analyst at r-mark in Berlin.

"Working with r-mark has been a great experience. They are truly a team of professionals. They are more than experts and consultants, they are our business partners."

Jack Pitney, Marketing VP. BMW Group

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• Target Audience
• Creative Strategy
• Media Allocation
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