Client BMW Group Italia SpA
Location Brescia-Rome - Touring
Typology of project and activity Automotive
The legendary Mille Miglia classic car race was the ideal occasion to launch the new 2009 BMW Z4 Roadster.
The MAC Group developed a marketing project based on the outstanding synergies that could be created by organizing an event within the spectacular framework of the Mille Miglia, which attracts an international public of enthusiasts every year, including high-end target group participants, VIPs and international press and TV journalists.
The concept was to bring the product to life within the context of this historic race, making the pleasure of driving the new BMW Z4 tangible in a situation that would be highly memorable for the participants. Underpinning all this was the strong historical association between the Mille Miglia and BMW, who amongst other things won the race with a roadster in 1940.
The objectives of the project conceived and organized by the MAC Group were to:
- Reposition the BMW Z4 in the light of important new retractable hardtop models such as its longstanding rival the Mercedes Benz SLK
- Enhance the loyalty of existing customers and attract new prospects
- Achieve high product visibility
- Involve the sales network through test drives
Solution:
- An online competition with 72 winners who took part, as following cars, in the Mille Miglia in 3 new BMW Z4 roadsters
- A further 3 roadsters were made available to 72 top customers chosen by the dealers along the route
- 12 staging points were set up along the MM route with a "BMW corner" in the main town and city squares through which the race passed, allowing the local dealers to staff them and support the participants just like a relay race
By contrast, there was a static presentation of the new cars during a gala evening at the Castel Sant'Angelo in Rome on 15 May. The crystal-roofed tensile structure created for the occasion hosted 400 guests selected by BMW, including VIPs and automotive and lifestyle journalists who enjoyed a sumptuous dinner against the striking backdrop of the floodlit castle walls and access ramp. Mixing modern spectacle and history, it provided the perfect setting to display the BMW Z4.
