At the 2011 New York Auto Show, BMW of North America brought back to the front, once again, the “Ultimate Driving Machine” slogan. Taking form in a large marketing banner sitting above the BMW exhibit, the “Ultimate Driving Machine” lingo is back in full-force.
Last year’s marketing efforts revolved around the “Joy” idea, a series of online, print and TV commercials that illustrate the Joy of Driving. Highly controversial among BMW fans, the US campaign was the child of regrettable Jack Pitney, former head of marketing at BMW, and the Austin-based GSD&M Idea City ad agency.
According to Dan Creed, Head of Marketing BMWNA, and quoted by AdWeek, the popular and easily recognizable tagline has never gone away: “We’ve never gotten rid of the ‘Ultimate Driving Machine,’” says Creed. “‘Joy’ goes to the question of what it means to drive the ‘Ultimate Driving Machine.’”
BMW continues the search for a permanent ad agency in the United States. National advertising is handled, on a project basis, by Kirshenbaum Bond Senecal + Partners, N.Y.; Grey West, S.F. works on regional ads; and multicultural marketing is divided between Matlock, Atlanta and Bromley, San Antonio. All of these agencies are included in the final bid.
For AdWeek, Creed says the company has received “hundreds” of agency responses to news the business is up for grabs, including some from agencies already working for other car companies. “Several of our competitors would be surprised at who we’ve heard from,” he says.
BMW of North America plans to employ a new agency for the beginning of Q4 which is just around the corner. In 2010, a recovery year for many automakers, BMW increased the advertising spending to $160 million, up $20 million from 2009. While not confirmed, the budget is expected to be increased this year.
So what is the next topic for BMW marketing? Creed leads us to believe the common theme will be “emotion and efficiency”, but the marketing brief for review participants is still in works.
[Source: AdWeek ]
Author: Misha
Source: http://www.bmwblog.com/2011/04/27/dan-c ... g-machine/