Almost half the $15 million to $25 million budgeted for a campaign introducing the BMW 1-Series--a compact in coupe and convertible versions targeted to a younger, somewhat less well-heeled driver--is
being devoted to online media. The campaign seeks to reassure potential buyers that the model is indeed a "pure BMW" despite being smaller and less expensive.
The online elements of the
campaign include letting members of Facebook design virtual cars and send them to Facebook friends; buying dominant positions--known as takeovers--on the home pages of msn.com and yahoo.com; posting
video clips on YouTube; and developing a microsite (bmwusa.com/new1). As of Friday, more than 6,000 Facebook members had already entered a BMW contest, which began on March 29, by submitting car
designs.
There are some unconventional approaches for the traditional media, too. Three magazines--
City,
Dwell and
Paste--are printing pure-white covers that are glued
over the actual front covers of the issues; ads for the 1-Series are on the other sides of the covers.
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