BMW taps NFC to trumpet the ‘car of tomorrow’ in print ads
BMW is powering its print ads with NFC technology to give readers exclusive access to content about its electronic car range.
The car company is billing the campaign as a media first that places small chips inside copies of Spiegel Wissen, a quarterly spin-off of European current affairs publication Der Spiegel.
Readers who come across the brand’s “Car of Tomorrow” four page advertorial can tap their smartphones on the creative to instantly download the app for its i electric car range. The app then interacts with the advert, directing users to relevant content based on their operating system and how often they have tapped the creative.
Technology has played a key part in the positioning for BMW’s first-ever fully electric cars. Last year, it launched a Siri-like artificial intelligence SMS information service that responds to texts about its i3 model in order to educate potential buyers.
BMW is working with proximity marketing specialists Tamoco to steer the campaign, which it hopes will uncover a more cost effective way to merge its online and offline media plans.
The initiative is smaller in scale compared to some of BMW’s other technology investments but it is hoping NFC can fuel its efforts to craft a more personalised customer experience. Costs associated with merging on and offline channels have slowed the car maker’s efforts to fashion an integrated customer experience. However the advent of proximity marketing through NFC and Beacons has helped BMW to speed up how it tailors the customer experience around a person’s interests through their phone.
Like its rivals, the German car maker has pounced on “The Internet of Things” trend in order to carve out a new brand proposition around connectivity. By having more data on drivers, car brands are hopeful of creating an in-car experience that is an extension of what people are used to experiencing from their smartphones and in their homes.