Table 19 set us a brief to create and design the consumer journey when buying a new BMW with the proposition of ‘The ultimate journey before your cars even on the drive’.

 

The market we are targeting are males like Brian in the following pen portrait:

 

“Meet Brian, he’s a golf man. A family man. And a very hard-working man.
But he’s not much of a car man. Don’t be mistaken - he likes to be seen in a good looking motor. And, as he’s lucky enough to have the money, a nice new reliable model is something he could be very interested in.  He’s had a few BMWs in the past, and his friend Dan keeps banging on about his. 
So Brian’s decided to visit the BMW website, and he’s ready to treat himself.”

 

We wanted to do something unique and quirky- something that would contrast with their previous campaigns. We wanted this to stand out from the current automotive market and make a memorable campaign that consumers would never forget. 

 

Our insight is that buying a car is a serious commitment similar to that of finding an ideal life partner. They have to compliment you and your lifestyle and they have to understand your wants and desires. Most importantly they are unique to you; they are ‘the one’.

 

Our campaign enables our customers to go on a journey to find ‘the one’. This way of thinking is much more personal than any other buying experience out there.

 

We submitted an initial idea, which upon receiving feedback from Table 19 we have now improved, and updated our BMW campaign.

 

The feedback we received said: “Really nice insights and start to the journey. Have a think about social (Hint: Facebook relationship takeover?). Love the personalized key chains, but the purchase letter could go a little further to give a real sense of ‘finding the one’.”

 

We took the feedback onboard and improved upon the social media aspect and reconsidered the final buying process. We went on to create an eight-stage campaign to incorporate every aspect of the consumer journey from realization to purchase of a BMW car.  All the accompanying creative work can be found in our portfolio on Behance.

 

 

 

The first stage of the consumer journey is realization, the moment they realize that their car no longer suits their needs, wants and desires. Think of it as a time to break up and move up.

 

For this we created small advertisements that would be placed on petrol pumps, this is a time when they’re thinking about their car. The adverts encourage you to think about purchasing a new car and whether or not you’re happy with your current car. We used copy such as ‘Why pump money into something you don’t love?’  With the campaign tag line ‘ Let us help you find the one’.

Stage Two – Landing Page
The second stage of the journey starts when the consumer has realized they want a new car so they visit the BMW official landing page. In order to find the consumer’s perfect partner we must first find out their needs and wants. 

 

To do this we would take them through a short survey, addressing subjects such as country or city, family status or hobbies. This will be similar to surveys found on dating websites and would be kept fun and interesting, making it something you enjoyed doing.

Stage Three – Customization
Once we have filtered down the range, the consumer can go even further into creating something truly personal by adjusting colour palettes, textures, fabrics and additional add-ons.

The customization options are typical to that of a dating website whereby you can chose preferences based on your personal taste; preferences include hair colour (colour of car), Hips (Boot size) and Eye colour (The type of headlights you would prefer).

Following the theme of finding ‘the one’ we thought this would add to the quirky tone, which can then go on to being a talking point amongst friends.

Stage Four – Social Media
In terms of social media, Facebook allows you to update your relationship status and in todays society making it ‘Facebook official’ can be a big deal.

Personalised posts would be activated at the end of the preferences quiz for people to share on their own page if they wish. This not only spreads our campaign to a wider audience but also adds an element of humor.
These status’ would reflect how you’ve answered the survey, for example if you’ve said that your kids are no longer at home and you’re looking for something sporty to rekindle your youth, then the suggested post might be that Brian’s looking for a younger model.

As another example, each post would include dating jargon such as “Brian says it’s strictly business. Find the one #BMW” – this will encourage friends who could be our secondary audience to take a look and possibly take the quiz themselves.

Stage Five - Dealership
After the preferences quiz we have made it easy for the consumer to be directed to their local dealership.
The dealership allows consumers to get an accurate feel for the car, see it in person and get a better sense of what they have been looking at on screen.

If they haven't done already, test drives can be booked at the dealership for a time that is most convenient for the consumer.

Stage Six – Test Drive
The test drive is advertised around the dealership by posters we have created suggesting whether the customer wants to arrange a date.

The test drive is a highly important part of the process; think of it as the first date. We wanted to make it memorable, make it personal and make it meaningful. That’s why the test drive route is decided completely by the consumer. Just as they would decide a venue for a date, they decided the venue for the test drive - whether it’s their daily commute, or a scenic drive its up to them.

Stage Seven – Follow Up
We understand its important to reinforce and remind the consumer about their test drive experience, we would send them direct mail talking about making this relationship long term.
We created something as simple as a key-ring with a photo of the consumer during their test drive.  This would get them to reminisce about the experience and they will be reminded of it every time they look at their current car keys.

As a cliché thought, this could reflect the typical date memento you keep to remember your ‘first date’ – similar to that of keeping a photo of your first and best memory with someone.
 

Stage Eight –Buying
We want the consumer to feel a sense of achievement when buying this car; we want them to feel like they have truly found ‘the one’ after years of searching.

When the consumer is ready to buy they will receive their buying confirmation. This will be in the form of a congratulations card, designed to look like a typical wedding card. The card is from BMW and wishes the consumer a long and happy road ahead of them with their new car. This signifies that the consumer has found the one that they want to settle down with, and spend the foreseeable future with. The consumer will feel a sense of commitment and will have something to be proud of. This will ultimately be the last stage in their journey.

 

We feel by creating this unique, personalized process of purchasing a car customers will find this more enjoyable whilst feeling confident they’ve picked the right car for them.

After taking the survey that has expert opinions, we feel customers will feel more confident with their purchase. By including expert opinions, we think this will make BMW appear more trustworthy and will reinforce a better customer satisfaction.

We’ve decided to include eight stages into our customer journey, as we know ‘falling in love’ takes time. It is also a process that you enjoy and you’ll remember forever.