Where's me Ultimate Driving Machine???
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Originally Posted by BRANDWEEK
BMW Marketing Machine Ready To Hype Hybrids
August 08, 2006
DETROIT -- Despite a slump in July in which sales fell 12% from a year ago, BMW is having a smooth ride in the luxury auto segment. Sales are up 5.3% so far this year and the brand has maintained its claim as the No. 1 luxe auto brand. All that places Jack Pitney, vp-marketing, in a coveted position. Pitney's strategy since taking the reins last year has been to look at Beemer drivers as unique individuals and deliver the goods. At the same time, Pitney faces the market-leader's task of guarding against complacency. "It wasn't that long ago that we were the second largest premium car company in the world," Pitney said. "It becomes a challenge on how to retain that spot." In a change of direction, BMW's "Company of Ideas" ad theme, via GSD&M, Austin, Texas, speaks of BMW's corporate independence, safety and the refined tastes of its owners. Pitney discussed BMW, marketing trends and technology recently with Brandweek senior reporter Steve Miller.
Brandweek: You've changed the angle of some marketing there, with "the company of ideas" campaign that you kicked off in May, to complement the "ultimate driving machine" theme that BMW has used for so many years. How will new products drive the message for BMW in the future, with, for instance, a hybrid engine that BMW is working on?
Jack Pitney: Historically, if you look back at how different German brands market themselves, they have always tended to market the engine excellence. With the [hybrid] engine, when we bring a different concept to the market, it has to be uniquely BMW's interpretation of whatever product it is. [For instance, we call] our X5 a 'sports activity vehicle' versus an SUV . . . when we launched it, it was all about the drive. SUVs before that had been very practical but didn't drive so well on an existing truck platform. We positioned ours as a perfect driving machine and we've had tremendous success with it. So when we bring a hybrid power train to the market, it has to be the ultimate type of power train and has to remain true to what we do...
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