BMW RUSSIA | ULTIMATE GIVING PLEASURE | 2017
Spreading the Joy of Driving — Even to Rivals / BMW "ULTIMATE GIVING PLEASURE"
For BMW's 100th anniversary, they built a dedicated free gate. And it wasn't only BMW owners who could pass through it.
The problem
Moscow is famous for its traffic jams and expensive toll roads, so even owners of premium cars were fed up with it. For BMW's 100th anniversary, the brand needed something that would resonate even with drivers of rival brands.
The insight
Even owners of competing cars started saying, "We want to drive through for free too." So why not actually let them? Even if just for a moment, becoming "a BMW" would leave a lasting impression. And every time they drove, they'd become a moving ad for BMW.
The idea
On the newly built M11 highway, BMW set up a free tollgate reserved for BMW owners. Since the gate worked by recognizing the BMW logo and opening automatically, BMW handed out printable BMW logo stickers that could cover a competing brand's logo, so that anyone could pass through. The campaign was promoted through automotive media and flyers handed out on the street.
What happened
It ran on the M11 highway in the summer of 2016. The campaign won a Gold Lion in the Media category at Cannes Lions.
Afterthought
Normally, no brand would ever let its own logo be covered up by someone else's. But the practical benefit of driving through for free, combined with the experience of "becoming a BMW," made it work. BMW footed the bill, yet it was rival drivers who ended up cruising around town proudly displaying the BMW logo themselves. The joy of driving, given away freely to everyone.
Awards
- Cannes Lions Gold 2017
