Читать книгу Low-Budget Online Marketing - Holly Berkley - Страница 19

“We knew that 85 percent of the people who buy our cars are web savvy,” said bmw’s Marketing vice president, Jim McDowell, during an interview with John Gaffney for Business 2.0. “Our buyers are fast-track people who usually have success early in their careers. They believe that the Internet is a wonderful thing.”

With this in mind, the company launched the BMW Films campaign, a brilliant way to ensure BMW kept its cutting-edge and high-end brand in the forefront of its equally sophisticated and hip customers. There was nothing low-budget about this campaign, as bmw enticed big-name directors (such as Ang Lee, John Frankenheimer, and Guy Ritchie) and stars (such as Forest Whitaker, Mickey Rourke, and Madonna) to create six- to eight-minute films that provided the elusive mix of entertainment and product showcasing.

People could log on to www.BMWfilms.com, and if truly BMW’s target audience (that is, a hip, wealthy, Internet-savvy car lover with a sound card and fast Internet connection), could download Guy Ritchie’s short film featuring Madonna in the back seat of the newest, coolest BMW being chauffeured at top speed through busy city streets. Or click over to an Ang Lee film, created soon after he completed Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and watch the bad guys chase a mysterious BMW driver (Clive Owen), who is escorting a young Tibetan lama to safety.

Although BMW would not disclose the exact amount spent on the campaign, it did announce that if one million online viewers logged on, the campaign would be a success. They were thrilled to learn that well over three million visitors had watched at least one film. And despite a cooling economy, BMW witnessed its highest car sales during the online campaign, exceeding the 40,000-vehicle mark.