The Brief

The objective was to promote the BMW 1 Series family and activate the target audience to join the annual driving event "1 Series Driving Challenge" and experience the product first hand. On a secondary level, the client wanted to affirm product acceptance and strengthen its positioning as the right car for the young and active target audience of "the new Chinese".

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

In China small cars make for little interest. People still want to gain 'face' by driving large sedans. However, the target audience was a new generation of young Chinese, more open and driven by personal taste. Chinese are also very superstitious. Anything mysterious triggers immediate strong attention and passionate discussions. It came in handy that there had never been a crop circle in the country and most Chinese still believed them to be of extraterrestrial origin. Seeding footage a huge inexplicable symbol in the desert would inevitably make them want to know who or what created it.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

The campaign created extensive noise and engagement online: - 18 million viral video views in total - 2.4 million forwards and mentions on social networks - 4.3 million online searches It successfully activated the consumers: 60,419 people registered for a nation-wide BMW 1 Series driving event to experience the car. This was three times our given target and every registration was a verified sales lead for the client.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

The BMW 1 Series is a small and agile car with rear wheel drive. This technology differentiates it from its peers. Rear wheel drive allows for sporty driving and drifting. No other car in the competition features this kind of driving characteristics. We displayed the 1 Series as a sporty fun vehicle, being so precise that a group of skilled drivers could create a perfectly symmetrical symbol in the sand just by driving and drifting.