BMW Canada is “text driving” its first SMS campaign in support of its Z4 roadster.
Two flat-screen televisions, placed in street-level windows of Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York, play five- to 10-second videos inviting customers to text “Drive” to 111222 to book a test drive.
Once the text has been sent, the person receives an electronic registration form, in order to align them with the appropriate retailer, explained Marc Belcourt, brand communications manager, BMW Canada.
“That’s the beginning of a conversation,” he said. “Instead of simply texting to our number and receiving information about our product, we go a step further to initiate that personal contact between a retailer and a consumer that has expressed interest in trying the new Z4.”
According to Belcourt, the SMS campaign, which launched last month and runs until the end of August, has so far resulted in a 12.5% test-drive conversion rate.
Belcourt said BMW had been looking to execute an SMS campaign for more than a year, and decided to add it to its “An Expression of Joy” campaign, which launched in April.
BMW wanted to assess how willing consumers are to interact with SMS campaigns and performance luxury vehicles, said Belcourt.
“We need to know if people are willing to engage and how much information they are willing to share, and ultimately for us [to find out] who these people are,” he said.
The videos, seen by about 12,000 passerby each day, highlight the car’s retractable hardtop roof, the exterior and interior as well as the engine.
A Z4 roadster model sits on a pedestal outside the hotel. The display case uses imagery from a recent Z4 TV spot, created by Chicago-based GCD&M, which shows a giant canvas covered by the Z4 with yellow, blue, green and red tire tracks. It’s meant to capture the freedom and joy of driving the vehicle.
Customers can learn more about the new roadster and access a range of tools including a vehicle configurator, online brochures and multimedia downloads at BMW.ca/Z4.
A link on the site directs consumers to iTunes where they can download the “BMW Z4—An Expression of Joy” game for their iPhone or iTouch.
Gamers can configure a detailed 3D model of the car, take it on a virtual test drive and create their own Expression of Joy painting using the vehicle’s tires.
Cundari developed the creative, with Vortex Mobile managing the SMS portion of the campaign.
