BMW Z 3 Launch-HBS Marketing case

BMW also wanted to extend their brand image to be stylish and fun and attempt to move away from the former tradition bound image of a purely executive type product. The objectives of the Z3 launch were to widen the BMW product mix as well as increase awareness of and market share for the BMW product through a wider customer audience; specifically consumers who were looking for fun and adventure and who wanted to be perceived as stylish and ‘avant garde’.

The definition of the Z3 brand included concepts such as style, sophistication, adventure and fun. The base model would be conservatively priced in comparison to similar high quality cabriolets and have a high specification including quality stereo, power windows etc. The roadster image would target Gen X’ers and baby boomers who were looking for fun and excitement and who wanted to live their teenage dreams of freedom an

d the open road. The brand’s values were rational in terms of the style and image of the roadster; and emotional in terms of the reminder of youth, and the fun, excitement and sense of freedom of the open top driving experience.

Phase two traditional marketing included dealers presentations and promotions, as well as the usual TV and print advertising. This consumed 40% of the Z3 marketing budget and was generally well received.

Subsequent to the launch of Goldeneye in November, BMW planned the production of 20 units of the promotional Marcus Neimann Z3 for Christmas. This number was based on vehicle demand from previous launches, however, as orders started pouring in BMW increased this to 100 units. The final number of orders reached 6,000 and the lack of availability could have caused discontent among BMW customers. Fortunately for BMW the lack of availability actually increased the anticipation and mystique surrounding the Z3. This emphasized the potential risk of miscalculating demand generated by non traditional marketing but also confirmed the huge success of the Z3 placement in the Goldeneye film. This success does not lead to the conclusion that future models should be placed in the same way. As with the success for Rayban in the Tom Cruise films Top Gun and Risky Business; the timing of the launch of the Z3 and the launch of a new Bond in Goldeneye was a fortunate coincidence for both parties and is unlikely to be repeated in the future.

Sell 100.000 units in US market (major players – efficient operations)

Some topics in this essay:
Radio DJ, Marketing Plan, , MGM Z3, Central Park, Fortunately BMW, Jay Leno, Bond Goldeneye, Gen X’ers, BMW German, traditional marketing, phase 2, marketing campaign, central park, brand image, product placement, press launch central, traditional media, z3 launch, bmw website, lack availability, launch central park,