What Was the Strategic Role and Significance of the Z3 Launch for Bmw Within Bmw’s Product Line?

1. What was the strategic role and significance of the Z3 launch for BMW within BMW’s product line?

BMW’s strategy was to create a nontraditional approach to appeal to a psychographic group of individuals that were considered “lovers of life” with a propensity to seek unique expressions of individuality. The main goal of BMW was to rebrand their cars as a quality brand “Made by BMW,” rather than “Made in Germany.” Their strategy was to appeal to all generations: The X generation and their motivation to drive like James Bond with style, the 40 year olds who had a desire to “have that roadster that I’ve been dreaming of all my life,” and the baby boomers by associating James Bond with the movies of their age, with a classic and modern feel, and the memories they associated with the Bond films. BMW wanted their cars to be perceived as “ultimate driving machines” rather than as a “yuppie status symbol” car. [pic 1][pic 2]

BMW’s strategy to rebrand the company as a whole was through the advertisement of the Z3 car. The strategic role of BMW in their advertisement of the Z3 was through the James Bond movie that was to be released in March of 1996, which was four months after the premier of the Golden Eye. Therefore, BMW also had the responsibility to keep the appeal and excitement of the Z3 in the months between the release of the movie and the car release date. Bond was perceived as adventurous, handsome, sexy, wealthy, and resourceful—an emotional response and feeling that consumers associated with the Z3. The Z3’s debut was only a short 90 second debut that was seamlessly integrated in the Golden Eye, that did not oversell the car. Rather, Bond replaced his iconic Aston Martin for a $30,000 BMW, which promoted BMW as an alternative to an already established luxury, “ultimate driving machine” brand. BMW leveraged the buzz of the car by teasing consumers with small debuts of the car, which created more excitement and curiosity around what the car had to offer, as well as appealing specifically to people’s emotions and the perceptions associated with driving the car.

2. For the Z3 using the 6M framework, evaluate the individual and integrated performance of the various promotion initiatives -  Neiman Marcus catalog, Product placement in Golden Eye, Press launch in Central Park, Jay Leno Show, Radio DJ programs and Dealer promotion.  

Mission: BMW had a broad mission to rebrand their company as a brand that creates the “ultimate driving machine.” With the Neiman Marcus magazine advertisement, the mission was to make people feel like the Z3 was a special, limited edition “Bond” car, only available for a limited time in the “Bond Blue Gray” color—obviously directly associated with the Bond movies and Bond’s character. The use of marketing the Z3 in the Tonight’s show and Radio DJ was to have credible and personal sources talk about the product, leveraging the buzz and direct interaction with the Z3, since it was up to the discretion of the radio DJ or TV host to do what they wanted with the car on their show. The mission of the internet site was for convenience and to help people visualize and customizable and personalized final product that fit their needs. The debut of the Z3 in central park was to make people feel the reality and excitement of being part of the bond movie, while the event was also publicized by the news and newspapers, as well as word-of-mouth excitement from viewers. Finally, the mission of the dealership inviting 200 of their best customers was the exclusiveness of the private showing of the Z3, which resulted in a feeling of classiness and like they were special guests being chosen to view the Z3 before the car was even released.

Market: BMW decided to market in a nontraditional route, where they are targeting a psychographic group of people who love life. Within different generations are the generation X’s, the 40 year olds, and the baby boomers. The X generation is looking for style and aesthetics of the car, the 40 year olds who have wanted the roadster they’ve been dreaming of their whole lives, and the baby boomers, who associated close ties to the Bond movies and his character.

Media: BMW did an excellent job advertising the Z3 in multiple media platforms: An iconic and highly popularized movie: Golden Eye, the internet, TV and radio, magazines, exclusive events for a select few, and a live show of the debut of the car in Central park which alluded to indirect publication by coverage on the news.

Message: The message from the Neiman Marcus Christmas advertisement was that if you don’t buy this car now, you’ll never get it. It made these “Bond Blue Grey” Z3’s rare, and scarce in number. It also made it more appealing for people who wanted this car, just for the attention they’d receive, because people would look at the car and say, “wow, that’s the James Bond special edition Z3.” The message from the Z3 debut in Central Park was to get ready for the Bond car. James Bond’s character was closely associated with the car and how people perceive the car. Since James Bond is perceived as a sexy, adventurous, wealthy, and handsome guy, people who drive the car might automatically also be perceived in a highly favorable light, which makes the car more appealing. The internet website for the Z3 allowed consumers to customize your car to fit your needs and style. The dealership’s message was that if you were invited to the exclusive showing of the sexy Z3, you deserve this car—you need this car because you’re important and everyone else should know that. The radio, tonight show, and Golden Eye sent a message to people that the people they look up to and watch/listen to are using this car. There’s a closer association to the car: if you listen to the show, you should also like the car.