• Ad Age, Friday, May 5, 2006 12:05 PM

Like so many other marketers, BMW of North America's motorcycle division wants to try new marketing methods in the world of emerging media. The company announced this week that it has hired a new ad agency, Concept Farm, to handle its $2 million account because of the shop's expertise in the areas of guerilla, interactive and Web marketing. The brand plans to boost its online presence, because word-of-mouth among riders is more effective and more efficient than advertising, said Laurence Kuykendall, the marketing communications manager at BMW Motorrad USA. "Not that we are anti-advertising," he said, because he plans to continue traditional advertising to build brand awareness. The company also insists on authenticity in its advertising, and wants only people who know motorcycles to work on the account. In fact, Kuykendall said the previous agency, Merkley & Partners, lost the business because key players on the account who were motorcycle aficionados had left the agency. Kuykendall, who joined BMW from Merkley, said this was the first pitch he has led as a client and he did it without a consultant. He sifted through more than 40 books from agencies who vied for the account.

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