Cars
New branding campaign for BMW
By Tian Yang (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-04-12 11:08
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'Joy' the catchword as premium carmaker aims to enhance connection
Premium German carmaker BMW kicked off a new China branding campaign this month, its latest effort in localization and enhanced emotional connection with consumers.
The move follows massive promotions in Europe and the United States that started in the second half of last year with the new slogan "Joy is BMW".
"Joy has always been the center of our brand," said Christoph Stark, president and CEO of BMW Group Region China, who noted that the company has used "Joy to Drive" in Germany for several decades.
Stark said that the company went back to and refreshed the "joy" concept partly because they wanted to say something positive amid the global economic crisis.
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He added that the auto icon will not discard its well-known slogan "Sheer Driving Pleasure", but will use the new campaign to enrich BMW's brand image, showing it represents a progressive and optimistic spirit as well as concern for the public good - much more than simply a driving experience.
Stark and his team spent a great deal of time discussing the proper translation of joy in Chinese. "As a global brand, it is important to make sure the idea be interpreted and known in different countries but with the same core," he said.
"This is basically what we try to do here - try to find the right angle and notion for China," he said. "We want to see it understood."
Finally, yue - a Chinese word that dates back to ancient times and an idea can be found in Confucius' works - was the consensus.
The word not only refers to a joyful mood but can also be used as a verb meaning to make others happy, which Stark believes perfectly explains the concept.
BMW also registered the calligraphic form of yue and integrated elements of several Chinese art forms like Beijing opera and ink painting on its posters to show the company's commitment in the world's largest auto market.
Last year, BMW moved an all-time record of 90,536 vehicles in China, up 38 percent over 2008, making the country its fourth-largest market in the world.
It continued strong growth in China in the first three months this year with sales more than doubling the figure in the same period last year.
Stark noted that the effect of ongoing long-term marketing will be shown in sales, yet they also value the notion that more people will know the full meaning of the BMW brand through the campaign.
BMW is often associated with the nouveau riche in China, an image that is likely due to the timing of the company's arrival in the mid 1990s when the country's first generation of recently affluent began to emerge.
Diverse customers
In response to the stereotype, Stark said that instead of a narrowly defined small group of people, BMW in China has a wide and diverse customer base, including Olympic gold medal winners, renowned artists as well as prestigious university scholars.
He added that the company will hopefully sell more than 100,000 cars in China, with the implication that such large number of buyers are by no means all upstarts.
As the "ultimate driving machine" steers toward a more emotional direction, the competition in China's luxury car segment has also risen to a new level where consumers' pursuit for a certain lifestyle outweighs their demand for mere function.
BMW's major competitors in China, Audi and Mercedes-Benz, also began more emotion-oriented marketing strategies rather than merely underscoring the product and technological innovation.
"Competition is changing and China's overall consumer behavior pattern is evolving as they have many more new models to choose from," said Stark, explaining why BMW needed to update and sharpen its brand positioning to better differentiate itself from its rivals.
Although the Chinese auto market is young and immature - consumers in general have less brand loyalty and are more sensitive to prices - Stark noted BMW has enthusiastic customers attached to the brand and grassroots clubs in cities across the country.
He said the company would very much like to foster these club activities and strength the affinity between the brand and its fans.
