Background

The BMW X2 is a second, not a first car – the car driven out to buy one’s groceries. In China the BMW X2 is endearingly called the “shopping car”, synonymous with practicality. Not good for a model that is 5 years young and customers that are 5 years older. At the time, younger customers under 35 years old were defecting to competing brands. We sought to make BMW X2 a stylish car for younger people, not only for families that use it for groceries. If the X2 could not rid itself of the ‘shopping car’ label, then BMW would make shopping groceries the coolest thing to do. BMW took over the century old Sanyuanli wet market in Beijing and gave it a facelift inspired by X2, making it the most “instagrammable” shopping experience. This led to homepage coverage on national social media, news, and style verticals across China.

Describe the creative idea (40% of vote)

Welcome to the Sanyuanli by BMW X2. BMW took over the century old Sanyuanli wet market and gave it a facelift inspired by X2. BMW injected cool into the cultural conversation around the X2 and made it appealing to “instagrammers” and grocery shoppers alike. A complete takeover for the Sanyuanli was created including signposts, stalls, food packaging and apparel. BMW also launched its very own X2 shop which carried a limited run of fashionable collectibles. The Sanyuanli by BMW X2 became a magnet for influencers and celebrities, bringing an inspiring brand experience in a most unexpected place. Shopping with the BMW X2 was ‘Unapologetically Fashionable’. An item that belonged on the high-street or a Paris runway would ultimately be found where least expected, the Beijing Sanyuanli wet market.

Describe the execution (40% of vote)

For the overall design direction, we extracted the slang and graphics often used in traditional Chinese wet markets such as electronic scales and mobile payment and integrated them into our approach. Avant-garde neon green together with the language and graphics took over the entire market place down to the smallest details including price tags and shopping bags, creating a big contrast with its stereotypical image, and transforming it into a grocery shopping experience like no other. Moreover, we designed a fashion brand in the name of the wet market and sold the branded apparel at a market stall. The market place was a standout from its overall environment all the way through to its shopping experience leading it to be the most ‘instagrammable’ place in town.

List the results (20% of vote)

The BMW X2 became a word-of-mouth sensation. Influencers and consumers created content and shared on social media. In 3 days it drew 120 million views of the campaign’s hashtags, and 200,000 engagements on Weibo. The campaign also ranked No.1 on WeChat’s hot topic list after launch. Video views of the activation reached over 2 million across platforms. The activation attracted an average of over 10,000 visitors per day to the market. This work resulted in a lift of 1032% in BMW X2 model reputation, making it the ‘coolest grocery shopping car’ in town. Our story went from a Beijing wet market to the front page of mainstream news, fashion, and car vertical sites across China giving the previously unfashionable X2 coverage way beyond the typical car launch.