Earlier this month, BMW of North America launched a national television, print, radio and Internet marketing campaign for its Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) program. The "Drive with your heart. Buy with your head" campaign created by Publicis New York communicates to prospective customers that a Certified Pre-Owned BMW is
more attainable and better than some new cars.
The underlying message is that a Certified Pre-Owned BMW is better than a brand new compromise. The price has been engineered down to size, but the thrill of The Ultimate Driving Machine(R) is intact.
"BMW Certified Pre-Owned sales for 2006 are up 20 percent over 2005 and we expect that pace to keep BMW clearly ahead of the competition," notes
Sergio Carvajal, marketing manager for BMW Certified Pre-Owned Sales. What better way to reward yourself, than with a BMW. Our Certified Pre-Owned program makes the most dynamic sports luxury vehicles attainable to everyone. Add the peace of mind provided by the CPO program's protection plan, and a Certified Pre-Owned BMW is the best vehicle for anyone who does
not want to compromise on anything."
The campaign will have a national reach, running in national and regional media throughout the US. It includes three TV spots, four radio
spots, four print ads and Internet banner advertisement. The print campaign will run in publications including USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Auto Week, Money Select Edition, Sports Illustrated Select Edition,
Time Top Management, Time Global Business and Roundel. Internet banners will be featured on Autotrader.com, KBB.com and Google.com.
Each of the three "Drive with your heart. Buy with your head" television executions features a unique setting and communicates a message
that clearly differentiates the BMW CPO program. The ads highlight the BMW vehicle, making it clear that it is the heart of the CPO program.
The campaign tagline appears in bold typeface alongside the footage of the vehicle during the last seconds of the commercial. There is also a
corresponding message that communicates the BMW Certified Pre-Owned program's 6 year / 100,000 mile coverage.
The television spots include the following:
"Inspection:"
The viewer sees footage of a vehicle being inspected in a service center. A lot of car companies rigorously inspect their pre-owned vehicles.
But no matter how hard they look, the one thing they'll never find is this... and the camera focuses on the Roundel and reveals that the Roundel they are looking at is on the back of a BMW Certified Pre-Owned 5 Series. The BMW shoots off the line accompanied by some running footage.
"Dealerships:"
The viewer sees a BMW 3 Series driving down a road on which there are various "any-town' USA car dealerships. But they notice that all these
dealerships have a funny name and a generic "stick figure like" set up. In
between shots of these mock dealerships, they return to beautiful shots of a silver CPO 3 Series BMW driving. The voiceover asks "Why would you settle for a new ... whatever, when, for the same investment, you can drive a
Certified Pre-Owned BMW?" The BMW passes the dealership strip and then takes off at a quick pace and the camera follows. Drive with your heart.
Buy with your head.
"No Brainer:"
The viewer sees beautiful X5 footage ... Aggressive driving, blistering straight-aways, etc. It seems much like standard running footage, except that there is a noticeable division on the road in front of the car. To the
right, the road is animated with various non-traditional graphics that one would never see on a road. To the left, the viewer sees tasteful graphics that indicate the rational side of BMW Certified Pre-Owned. Charts and schematics explain why the BMW CPO brings peace of mind to a consumer. Up to 6 year / 100,000 mile coverage ... Inspected by BMW technicians." The VO asks, "Is it right brain? Is it left brain?" "It's a no brainer." Drive with your heart. Buy with your head.