Last week I was going through the mail and got a fairly big flat envelope in the mail. After opening up the envelope I noticed it was from BMW and had a note that read Happy Anniversary from BMW. Here’s what it said:
We congratulate you on your first anniversary of your ULTIMATE DRIVING MACHINE. Enclosed you will find our special gift to you: a designer’s sketch of your BMW vehicle. An attractive addition to any BMW’s home or office, it also provides insight into our passion for automobile design – by starting with a great idea. Compliments of Moritz BMW.
A few things jumped out at me:
- I have actually had the car for 14 months
- I have owned a few other BMW’s and never got an anniversary gift before so this must be a new program
- The sketch doesn’t have a BMW logo on it
- I would NEVER frame this sketch and put it in my home or office
I really applaud BMW for coming up with an anniversary program for my car. Although it would have been nice if I received the gift closer to my anniversary date, it was still really nice. I think they really swung and missed on this one. I could think of a bunch of other things they could have sent that I would have used. Here are a few thoughts:
- BMW key chain
- BMW shirt
- Tickets to a sporting event with my salesman
- A coupon for a friend to test drive a BMW for an entire weekend
All of those ideas could help with BMW’s branding and potential future sales. I really don’t see the value in a sketch.
Am I wrong?
- What do you think?
- What could have BMW sent their customers that would have made a difference?
- Do you get an anniversary gift from your dealership?
I look forward to hearing your thoughts.
PS – that is a picture of me holding up the sketch.
Fee Sepahi says:
Hi Merrill,
I agree with you. Personally Honda only sends me discount coupons for oil changes and maintenance etc.
From a promo perspective, I can see where tickets to a ball game may be a bit much. I would have to find out what the cost of that mailer was. Lets assume the cost with the art work, mailer etc. is $15. I think I would have appreciated movie tickets to a theater around me. Or maybe a gift card for gas, to the gas station in my area.
I realize these may not have a lasting imprint that this piece did, which may or may not end up in the trash. From the sounds of it though, they have given it a voice, which may not be true of a tank of gas or a movie outing.
Paul Kirch says:
Hi Merrill – Interesting post… Let me give you some food for thought, since I see this a little differently. There are plenty of enthusiasts of BMW that would enjoy a designer’s view of their car. Had they sent you something generic, it wouldn’t have seemed as personalized to you. Since the car is a profile shot, it shouldn’t have a logo, though they could have put one on the drawing. Clearly you know it’s a BMW, in fact, it’s your BMW from the eyes of the designer, so the logo would have just cheapened the drawing in my opinion. Though the items you mentioned above would allow you to show off the BMW logo, it wouldn’t have been as personalized. And, to be honest, the gift would appeal to plenty of car nuts I know, that own higher-end import cars.
I do agree that it would have been nice to receive it closer to the one year mark, but in my opinion, this was a unique and memorable attempt. If it devalued your opinion of the brand or created negative feelings, I would say they made a mistake. However, something tells me your brand loyalty hasn’t changed. BMW made a gesture that may have missed the mark with you, but I see it as a unique and personal approach that most car makers wouldn’t bother with. BMW talks about driver experience, but it seems they also know about brand loyalty. After all, they could have done nothing and you probably wouldn’t have thought twice. In closing, the fact that they didn’t jump on the self-promotion bandwagon and didn’t use this as a marketing opportunity, really made it a genuine attempt to reach a loyal customer without watering down the gesture. Therefore, I commend BMW for the effort.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Paul,
Appreciate your comments and point of view. I know I didn’t appreciate the gift but I was wondering if BMW “enthusiasts” would and I believe you are right. Probably lots of people would appreciate the gift. So if they sent it to you would you have framed it?
Thanks again.
Merrill
Paul Kirch says:
Personally, no I wouldn’t have framed it. However, if I had a lot of car pictures on my walls, I would have added it in. In my home office, I have several golf prints and some WWII aircraft photos, which are both items that I enjoy. A car print wouldn’t mix in well. I have a friend who comes from a family of car nuts or, more politely, enthusiasts. His first and middle name is Aston Martin and his children and pets are all named after cars. For Aston, this would definitely have made his wall, especially in his garage, where he stores a few of his cars. A lot of BMW owners share that kind of passion for automobiles. I do love a nice car and am a huge fan of the BMW brand, but I don’t seem myself decorating any part of my home with car pictures at this point.
Rick Johnson says:
I agree with you Merrill! What a waste of the scarce marketing dollar. I wonder how this was approved, and how the marketing department “sold” this to management?
Does this tactic help sell more units? Probably not! We usually get a card on our birthday from our salesman and a anniversary card from our salesman with some service coupons. We have a good relationship with our salesperson and talk to him every once in awhile.
I really like this topic and I think this is an awesome one to brainstorm! Enjoy your sketch…maybe you can sell it on ebay!
Lance Hoffman says:
I appreciate the post, Merrill, as always. However, I don’t want to just gloss over the praise that you did put in there, somewhere, applauding their efforts to reach out and touch you.
While every “touch” may not be for everyone, you need to come up with a common denominator in a program that is being laid out universally. I think most people who buy BMW’s are classified as being closer to an enthusiast that simply buying a car (or a brand, for that matter). I agree with Paul that in all likelihood, many BMW owners would likely appreciate the rendition. And while a key chain or something else might have been more appreciated by YOU, if I had gotten a shirt, I would have felt like BMW wanted to USE ME to be a walking advertisement, which I would not have liked (and, I have enough shirts). Anyone that knows me KNOWS I LOVE high-end merchandise, but conversely I HATE LOGOS.
I think it was a successful mailing, as it was obviously memorable and made an impression. 5 years from now, 10 years from now, you’ll probably remember that you got that picture. Would you remember it as vividly, or at all, if it were a shirt? A key chain? The best thing they could have done is stood out in your mind, and the mere fact that you even blogged about it says a lot. I can’t imagine you posting anything about a free oil change or a key chain, which you may have WANTED more, but might not have drawn so much of your attention. Of course, if they had sent you a SOX hat, WELL – CUSTOMER FOR LIFE RIGHT THERE!!!
Merrill Dubrow says:
Lance,
You are right I do applaud them for the “touch” for me it just didn’t work. I can see your point and understand that probably alot and perhaps the majority of BMW owners would have liked the gesture.
I wonder if they did market research to determine what gift they should have given?
have a great weekend.
Merrill
Judy Leerer says:
Hi Merrill,
First of all, congrats on your BMW!
Just curious, was your “gift” (aka marketing piece) generated from BMW North America or your dealership?
Over the past 4 years I have never received any anniversary greetings from anyone associated with BMW. The dealership did change hands end of 2009- and for the first time I started to receive more mailers and at the holidays received a $50 coupon towards service, parts, or BMW “stuff”. I’ll be waiting to see if the “new” management remembers my 5th anniversary- probably with a “generous” trade-in offer for my car.
But seriously, what I have constantly received- and what I find more valuable than a box of trinkets- is stellar customer service- and a car that I love to drive, that handles like a dream, and that often gets compliments because it is gorgeous (and somewhat unique)
Is that drawing or key chain going to be the deciding factor in your loyalty when it comes time to buy your next car? I think not.
If a car is crap or a dealership frustrating to deal with- you’re going elsewhere.
If you are servicing your car yearly- the dealership has that opportunity to ensure your loyalty.
So I guess I don’t get it either- BMW should review that marketing campaign to see if “gifts” like that pay off. There are certainly many other ways to ‘insure their customer loyalty. However, a new set of floor mats from the dealership next town over might change my mind.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Judy,
Good question – the gift was from the local dealership. I am wondering if everyone did it or the dealerships came up with it on their own? They do have good service which for me is huge.
Now toss in some floor mats from another dealership and my loyalty might change as well
Thanks for your comments.
Merrill