Alongside its elegantly sporty design and the new arrival of an electric drive system (in the BMW i5), the all-new BMW 5 Series Sedan captures the imagination most prominently with its wealth of digital innovations. The Bavarian premium carmaker is accompanying the market launch of the forward-looking business sedan – now in its eighth model generation – in Germany on 21 October 2023 with a similarly innovative launch campaign focusing on both a digital-first approach and the digital evolution of classical advertising media.
The new BMW 5 Series brings advanced, electrified drive technology together with pioneering driver assistance systems and digital services, which both enhance comfort and safety and drive forward cockpit digitalisation. In order to present these innovations, which will strike a chord with technophile target groups in particular, in an appealing and customer-oriented way, BMW has infused the campaign with both emotionally rich storytelling and editorial content examining visionary functions. A key element of this approach is the new brand innovation campaign centred around a genial group of guardian angels, whose job is made significantly easier by e.g. the new BMW Proactive Care service.
Trailblazing digital services and features inspire innovative launch campaign.
BMW Proactive Care is a revolutionary service set to be launched at the same time as the new BMW 5 Series Sedan. It detects the servicing requirements of BMW vehicles using artificial intelligence (AI), among other things, and proactively offers solutions to the customer without them having to take action themselves. From Condition Based Servicing to digital tyre diagnostics, from Battery Guard to accident detection as part of the automatic emergency call feature, the new BMW 5 Series Sedan is able to identify servicing requirements or a need for assistance in many different ways and report them to BMW via a suitable communication channel in line with the customer’s preferences.
The new service pledge is just one of many innovations with which BMW is once again breaking new ground in the use of digital technology. The new display and control/operation system BMW iDrive with QuickSelect – based on BMW Operating System 8.5 – offers features including hosting capability for broad-based audio & video streaming services and a totally new form of in-car gaming. Added to which, the new Highway Assistant with Active Lane Change Assistant enables extensive semi-automated driving. For example, the driver can take their hands off the steering wheel in certain situations and position them comfortably, provided they continue to monitor attentively what is happening on the road.
Awareness campaign with a wide reach via TV, out-of-home, print and radio.
The innovative orchestration of the Germany-wide launch communications, which major in video content, reflects the progressive character of the new business sedan in eye-catching style. While the storytelling approach highlights the new features of the BMW 5 Series Sedan, editorial advertising formats explore them in greater depth with the help of detailed information.
The campaign kicked off on 13 October with the “Guardian Angels” TV commercial enjoying premium placement on ARD. The prime slot immediately before the Tagesschau news magazine at 8.00 p.m. offers an excellent advertising environment and the potential to reach a particularly large and engaged target group. This strategy also comprises a 30-second commercial on all wide-coverage public and private channels. Placement on linear television is complemented by targeted programmatic actions on addressable TV (ATV). This is the first time ATV has been included as a campaign element and combines the benefits of TV and digital advertising. For instance, it appeals above all to people who have not previously been contacted by the campaign. As well as the TV commercial, all the other films in the “Guardian Angels” series will also be available from classical online media libraries such as Sky or SevenOne Media and via video portals like YouTube. An additional highlight in the pipeline are two ad integrations during UEFA Champions League football match broadcasts in the autumn.
