BMW’s Branding Insights: What Munich Taught Me about Brand Promises

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By Ann Revell-Pechar, Vice President, Carolinas at Arketi Group

This spring, we gave in to our son’s desire to include Munich on our European itinerary. The reasons he wanted to go were perfectly clear to me. You see, I spend a lot of time thinking about persona and brand promise. So I knew that the image of “engineering excellence” and “precision” that goes along with the German culture was something our mechanically-inclined son would relate to. It’s in everything they do, and is personified in the automobiles they make. One favorite, made in Munich, is BMW.

As BMW gives factory tours, has a very cool delivery space and showroom called BMWWelt, and has a museum, we just had to go. For some reason, however, it never occurred to me that I was expanding my marketing horizons!

An entire section of BMW Museum is dedicated to the BMW Brand Promise.

I realize my little point-n-shoot camera didn’t nail this photo, so allow me to reprint a portion of the sign:

  • BMW’s brand identity is perceived and experienced above all through design…
  • Every BMW design communicates the brand values: dynamism, sports character and elegance.

It goes on to talk about personality, tradition, and influence… all key components of a successful brand identity – a brand promise.

What is a brand promise? It’s a commitment to your customer. It’s a definition of how what you offer matters to your key constituents. 

So, what happens when you want to expand the notion of who your customer is, and what it is that matters to them? Generally, you begin listening.

Arketi has highlighted of late a focus on listening, so it’s been top of mind. Of course, I had to find out how BMW has incorporated ‘listening’ into their latest campaigns. Here’s what I found:

BMW has utilized social media tools to better listen to their customers, and gain more clear insight into the success of their Story of Joy campaign. What they heard, according to JD Power, was not a negative response to a tweaked message, but instead a positive response from a new customer! You can read more about it in the white paper, here.

If you’re truly committed to your brand identity and incorporate it in every aspect of your company – from employee communication to design to marketing and community development – you, too can have the kind of success that BMW experiences.

Who knew an avocation on vacation could relate so directly to my vocation?

So: where do you think I should go next for my great infusion of branding education? What brands inspired you on your last trip?

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Ann Revell-Pechar is vice president and general manager of the Carolinas at Arketi Group, a public relations and digital marketing firm that helps business-to-business technology organizations accelerate growth through intelligent strategy, public relations, messaging, branding and demand generation. Consistently recognized by BtoB magazine as one of the nation’s “Top BtoB Agencies,” Arketi helps its clients use marketing to generate revenue. To view all company blogs visit here, and for more information call Ann at 919-909-1097.

Published: June 12, 2012 By: fays