Marketing the New Bmw Z3 Roadster
Introduction
In the case "Launching the BMW Z3 Roadster" the reader is immersed into the magical world of automobile marketing. The case deals with the launch, of the now infamous BMW Z3 roadster, a car that revolutionized and rejuvenated the boring American motor industry back in the mid 1990 's. The case talks about the successful first phase launch of this new drop top beauty. It focuses on the customers and how they suddenly picked up the marketing cues and stories depicted by the various promotional parties that were led by James McDowell, BMW 's marketing vice president. This was a marketing campaign that gained a lot of merit and success by using unconventional promotion methods to put their product out into the public. The primary methods tried to stay away from the usual billboards and print media. Rather, the marketing teams decided to take the car into the new world of cinema and multimedia, where sound, sight, video and technology would promote the car during a time of accelerated IT growth . The team at BMW decided that since the Z3 was a new unconventional ' car, it also required equal unconventional marketing methods to match its identity. The BMW Z3 was a lifestyle car and what better way to put this idea forward than by releasing it alongside the passionate and stylish gadget man himself, 007 James Bond; exposed through the new technological gateways of the internet and the movies. This paper will try and look deeper into this case of BMW 's successful Z3 launch and whether or not they will be able to match the enthusiasm in the second phase of the vehicle 's launch.
1. BMW 's shift into the "Non Traditional" marketing venue.
BMW (Bavarian Motor Works) has always been a strong name associated with quality and performance in the automobile industry. From their humble beginnings as an aircraft engine manufacturer in 1916 during World War 1, they slowly shifted into manufacturing engines for motorcycles and then finally moved into
In the case "Launching the BMW Z3 Roadster" the reader is immersed into the magical world of automobile marketing. The case deals with the launch, of the now infamous BMW Z3 roadster, a car that revolutionized and rejuvenated the boring American motor industry back in the mid 1990 's. The case talks about the successful first phase launch of this new drop top beauty. It focuses on the customers and how they suddenly picked up the marketing cues and stories depicted by the various promotional parties that were led by James McDowell, BMW 's marketing vice president. This was a marketing campaign that gained a lot of merit and success by using unconventional promotion methods to put their product out into the public. The primary methods tried to stay away from the usual billboards and print media. Rather, the marketing teams decided to take the car into the new world of cinema and multimedia, where sound, sight, video and technology would promote the car during a time of accelerated IT growth . The team at BMW decided that since the Z3 was a new unconventional ' car, it also required equal unconventional marketing methods to match its identity. The BMW Z3 was a lifestyle car and what better way to put this idea forward than by releasing it alongside the passionate and stylish gadget man himself, 007 James Bond; exposed through the new technological gateways of the internet and the movies. This paper will try and look deeper into this case of BMW 's successful Z3 launch and whether or not they will be able to match the enthusiasm in the second phase of the vehicle 's launch.
1. BMW 's shift into the "Non Traditional" marketing venue.
BMW (Bavarian Motor Works) has always been a strong name associated with quality and performance in the automobile industry. From their humble beginnings as an aircraft engine manufacturer in 1916 during World War 1, they slowly shifted into manufacturing engines for motorcycles and then finally moved into