Case Study

BMW drives emotional appeal for its i8 Roadster on Twitter

Key results

30%
above Twitter Spotlight benchmarks

45%
of the target audience reached

21M
impressions

The opportunity

Twitter was the perfect platform when BMW UK (@BMW_UK) looked to boost awareness and positive emotional appeal for its i8 Roadster.

Twitter was used to complement the broader media plan and achieve this objective because of its popularity with BMW’s target audiences1 and its ability to drive upper-funnel brand metrics. 

Twitter’s success in delivering better video view-through rates2 was also an important factor for BMW and media agency Wavemaker UK (@WavemakerUK)

Overall, Twitter’s targeting ability, combined with the receptivity of its audiences, meant BMW was confident it was the right platform for the task to deliver its advertising, which was created by FCB Inferno (@FCBinferno).

The strategy

A key message for @BMW_UK was that the i8 Roadster is the “perfect blend of luxury and beautiful design in an environmentally friendly car”. 

It targeted this message at a core group of 35+ male early-tech adopters who value aesthetics and are prepared to pay more for sustainable products. 

According to Sophie Chiappe, BMW i marketing manager, “BMW i8 Roadster is a halo model for BMW brand and our electric range. Innovation, formats that capture the attention, and fitting premium environment are always key points for us when considering any digital activity, especially for this model.”

Tags
  • Automobile
  • Europe, Middle East, and Africa
  • Expanding Reach
  • Case Study
  • Audience Targeting

01

Drive awareness with a Spotlight and Promoted Trend.

The brand collaborated with Twitter to get the best out of its products and formulate a precise audience approach. The campaign launched with a Spotlight and Promoted Trend on the final day of the Premier League. 

BMW UK chose to connect with Premier League football as data showed Twitter would offer a marked increase in the target audiences’ awareness. The ad formats were also perfect for delivering reach.

02

Reach your audience with In-Stream Video pre-roll.

@BMW_UK followed this with In-Stream Video pre-roll, which was live for 10 days. This was chosen to complement Spotlight activity and to stay top of mind and timeline of the audience in a cost-efficient manner.

The success

The results of the Spotlight exceeded Twitter benchmarks by 30% and generated 21M impressions. @BMW_UK was also able to reach 45% of the target audience with its pre-roll ad campaign and 2.1M impressions.

There was an unintended benefit. The week of activity was the highest lead-driving week as a result of traffic driven by Twitter.

In the absence of a brand study, @BMW_UK used Twitter analytics and was able to achieve a high positive sentiment and create emotional appeal with the product. 

This was one of @BMW_UK’s key KPIs. Two quotes summarise this very well: “Loved this car from the first time I set eyes on it”, and “I want one, please”.

Sources:
1. 167 for regular usage – the highest of all social platforms
2. Twitter delivers better video view through rate than other platforms

Twitter delivers all of the above, plus gives us the certainty that our content will be seen in full by the right audience thanks to the precise targeting options the platform offers.

Sophie Chiappe, Marketing Manager, BMW i

Solutions used

Audience targeting

You want your message to be heard by the right person. Let Twitter’s targeting capabilities help.

Expanding reach

Reach your most valuable audience at scale when it matters most.

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