BMW & MINI Brands Expand into the Social Web

You may have noticed that BMW and MINI have done a deep dive into social media as of late. From Youtube to Twitter there are a number of ways that both brands are self-publishing content and creating their own voice. Today BMW is launching the BMW Group View to present ideas and visions that go beyond individual brands. This will give the BMW Group (the holding company for all BMW brands) the chance to speak directly to you and I about their ideas on the future of transportation and sustainability.
Official Release: The BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad brands have been active in the Web 2.0 world for some time: Their pages on Facebook, YouTube and other sites offer prospective customers and fans information and dialog options. Since 22 March 2010, the BMW Group also has had a “BMW Group View†profile on Facebook, along with a YouTube and a Twitter profile also under the name “BMW Group Viewâ€.
On “BMW Group View†the Group presents ideas and visions that go beyond specific brand profiles. The aim is to share ideas on a wide range of issues: Visionary concept cars, efficient drive technologies, the future of individual mobility and the BMW Group’s successes in the field of sustainability are just some of the topics on the agenda.
This expanded presence on social media platforms will be complemented by a new website for the BMW sustainability campaign “What’s next?†Information on sustainability projects and “project iâ€, the BMW Group’s future mobility project, can be found at www.bmwgroup.com/whatsnext.
With its new, expanded offering, the BMW Group is keeping up with the changing information and media needs of prospects, customers and the public today. The focus is on exchange within the society where real-time media play an increasingly important role.
7 Comments
<p>You say social media, I say bah!</p>
<p>(But I’m sure you’ll let us know if anything interesting happens)</p>
<p>@bee1000 – Before saying “bah” you should know that social media is currently changing our lives and the way we do business. I suggest you check out this video (<a href="http://bit.ly/e41m" rel="nofollow ugc">http://bit.ly/e41m</a>) just to get a little understanding of what it means;)</p>
<p>More of BMW in the social media world can only mean cooler/better MINIs or MINI related stuff in the future. But of course, we all know that MotoringFile will remain our #1 source of info!!</p>
<p>nigga pleez.</p>
<p>…thanks for the information Gabe…now,”BMW Group”,is one of My,”Groups”,on Facebook…</p>
<p>Car companies spend a very large wad of cash on advertising each and every year. It may come as a surprise, but I am talking to more and more people who have given up on TV and rediscovered LIFE! This is a new opportunity to direct advertising toward the target group of which BMW/MINI are going after. Kudos to the team who convinced the Brass at BMW HQ that this would be the next logical step.</p>
<blockquote>Before saying “bah†you should know that social media is currently changing our lives and the way we do business. I suggest you check out this video (<a href="http://bit.ly/e41m" rel="nofollow ugc">http://bit.ly/e41m</a>) just to get a little understanding of what it means;)</blockquote>
<p>Well, I watched the video and looked at the Facebook pages of BMW Group View and MINIUSA, and I’m not convinced. “Social media” (a really vague term, btw) can be a way for individuals and small businesses to enhance online presence, but MINI and BMW are large organizations that already have highly developed websites and multiple enthusiast sites with lots of traffic. Facebook pages could easily get lost in the noise. MINIUSA didn’t take advantage of the Owner’s Lounge as an opportunity to engage more with the public, and I think there needs to be a more fundamental change in corporate attitude about communication.</p>
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<p>blockquote>Kudos to the team who convinced the Brass at BMW HQ that this would be the next logical step.</p>
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<p>+1</p>
<blockquote>MINIUSA didn’t take advantage of the Owner’s Lounge as an opportunity to engage more with the public</blockquote>
<p>That’s correct. One reason may be because BMW is car maker not a social network maker. Although at the time the Owner’s Lounge was created, social networks were not as popular as today, I think it’s just a bad move trying reproduce what others do better than you. It’s even worse when you can actually use that tool, i.e. Facebook.</p>
<blockquote>MINI and BMW are large organizations that already have highly developed websites and multiple enthusiast sites with lots of traffic. Facebook pages could easily get lost in the noise.</blockquote>
<p>I disagree on this one. I actually think that forums are the noise makers. MINI probably has to dig into the forums where we like to hang out to find a precise information about its customers. Facebook and Twitter allow for direct interaction, instead of looking for the info, the info comes to you through your fans. Facebook generates as much traffic as Google today and that’s certainly not a random fact…</p>
<p>Obviously “marketing is experiencing a profound paradigm shift. In the old paradigm, marketers controlled the conversation with consumers through commissionable media (tv, radio, magazines, etc.). In the new paradigm, marketers risk being marginalized in the electronic dialogue now taking place in real time”. I bet that MINI/BMW understands that and I can’t wait to see how their socialnomics move is going to turn out!</p>