Marketing Management- II

Group Assignment

Launching the BMW Z3 Roadster

Submitted By -
Group 2

Mayank Bhatt IPM01038

Abhijeet Kumar Rath PGP13006

Abhishek Gaurav PGP13007

Abhya Singh PGP13009

Aditi Khobragade PGP13010

Aditi Sen PGP13011

Akshaya S PGP13016

Anshul Garg PGP13036

Anupam Biswas PGP13037

Submitted To-
Dr. Neha Bhardwaj
Why non-traditional marketing for BMW?

BMW has traditionally been known to operate out of Germany and especially in the “Bavarian
woods” and it was about time that it put its foot in the US and expanded its business via the
factory set up at South Carolina. BMW wanted to prove that it is truly a global company and
wanted to shift its image from being a ‘Made in Germany’ brand to ‘Made by BMW’ brand.

BMW was planning to do an unconventional marketing technique for the new product. It was
targeting a psychographic segment which would attract the attention of the customers. It is more
cost-effective than traditional marketing.

Exhibit 1 clearly shows how unit sales continued to plummet through 1987 to 1991. It was in
1992 that the Special Projects group was constituted. They had the task in hand to ensure that
they identified the right product concepts which fit best according to the principles of BMW and
embodied the spirit of the company.

Since this was the first time that BMW were venturing into a roadster product concept, it was
imperative for them to follow unconventional and non-traditional ways of marketing the product
that can help them revive lost market share.

How does it work?

BMW was historically known to market their products in a no-nonsense manner focusing solely
on performance capabilities, but with the roadster being a heavy departure from their usual
product, it called for unconventional measures for promoting Z3.

Various concept tests were also done at the product conception stage which indicated that the
general target audience were mainly men and women in their 40s. With Z3, being the first
automobile to be manufactured completely in the US, it was quite critical that it succeeded in the
market for the future of the plant at South Carolina.

The unconventional measures such as promoting the product via movies and television shows
also reinforced the dealer’s interest and trust in Z3. For the roadster to be a success, BMW had to
bring the dealers on board with them so that they can assist the company for customer specific
orders.

What should be the plan for Phase II?

Phase II formed a very crucial part of BMW’s expansion plans in the US. It had two very
important events that needed coverage:
1) The April launch of the redesigned 5-series
 2) BMW’s role as the official international automotive sponsor of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic
Games.

Phase II development plans by the company should focus primarily on sustaining the buzz
created during phase-I.
The company can come up with creative ideas to associate Z3 with the Olympic Games and can
organise free test drives at stadium venues.