BMW has launched a new international brand campaign for social media under the slogan “Made Different. To Feel Different.” A 120-second main film leads the campaign, backed by shorter videos on quality, safety, service, design, technology and driving dynamics. The campaign went live globally on 29 October.
BMW has a new brand platform. Called “Made Different. To Feel Different.”, the campaign is built around what the company calls “the BMW way”: the idea that its cars should feel distinct from rivals’ cars. BMW says the campaign is designed to appeal internationally, and it is aimed mainly at social media rather than traditional advertising.
A hero film and a series of deep dives
The centrepiece is a 120-second hero film. BMW says the film uses humour and a light, self-assured tone to show how the brand approaches motoring, with driving enjoyment at the core. Shorter deep-dive videos follow it, each covering one theme: the BMW ecosystem of people and vehicles, design, intelligent technology, driving dynamics, safety and quality.
The agency Jung von Matt developed the campaign, and Hochkant Films produced the videos. The soundtrack is a new version of “Walk This Way” by the American hip-hop act Run-D.M.C. Jung von Matt MUSIC handled the rights clearance and the music and audio production.
Testing and safety figures
The campaign leans heavily on BMW’s development process, and the release includes a lot of figures. According to the manufacturer, its driving simulation centre handles 1.2 million calculations per second, with 36 million data points representing a 36-kilometre (22-mile) test track. Each model is fine-tuned in a vertical acoustic wind tunnel at wind speeds of up to 250 km/h (155 mph). BMW describes the tunnel as the largest and quietest of its kind.
BMW says its cars have been tested in hot and cold climates in more than 30 countries, covering more than 1.8 million kilometres (about 1.1 million miles) so far. The company’s test centre in Miramas, France, can recreate almost any driving condition. Testing also includes around 100,000 kilometres (about 62,000 miles) on the Nürburgring Nordschleife.
On crash safety, BMW says it has run nearly 10,000 crash tests since 2005, each first simulated digitally. The company also draws on 50 years of research into real-world accidents. BMW says it is the first manufacturer to replace some physical crash tests with validated virtual models, as part of a hybrid type-approval process.
Service after delivery
Two of the videos cover after-sales support, including BMW’s Proactive Care system, which is meant to find potential problems early. The company lists more than 120,000 service experts at around 4,000 locations. Its 55 logistics centres ship around 1.4 million parts a day.
BMW says it contacts the driver within two minutes if a vehicle reports a problem, via the My BMW App. It says 30 per cent of cases can be solved over the phone. If on-site help is needed, BMW says its breakdown service arrives within the hour.
Design and the Neue Klasse
The design film traces two long-running BMW styling features. The kidney grille has been in use since 1933, and the Hofmeister kink in the rear side window first appeared in 1961. BMW says its Neue Klasse generation reworks both with fewer lines, cleaner surfaces and a simpler overall design.
Technology at the centre
On the technology side, the campaign features the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant. It responds to natural speech instead of fixed commands and, according to BMW, learns the driver’s preferences over time. Neue Klasse models use what BMW calls “superbrains”, with 20 times the computing power of earlier generations. One of these, the Heart of Joy, is a single central unit that controls acceleration, braking and steering.
The campaign also covers BMW Symbiotic Drive, which the company says is based on more than 20 years of work on driver assistance. It also shows BMW Panoramic Vision, which places key information directly in the driver’s line of sight.
What it means
The campaign puts BMW’s engineering, safety and service story into a set of short videos made for social media. It arrives as the Neue Klasse models reach the market, and much of the technology content is built around them.
The campaign has been running globally since 29 October.
