A tiny car in the BMW museum
DAY 11 – BMW
The BMW excursion was a nice introduction into the marketing and advertising part of our trip. Even though I don’t know much about cars, let alone marketing, I was able to understand the overview of the company, strategies and new products because of how simply and concisely they were presented.
One of the first things they did was explain BMW’s target audiences across the world. I thought it was interesting that its marketing strategy for the spread out cities in the United States is different from that of the crowded cities in Europe. I never realized how many different factors, such as gas prices and even the electrical stability of a country, which a company would have to take in when trying to sell such a complex product in completely different environments.
I also thought that BMW presented its new “innovative” products in a very confident, yet humble manner. The attitude contrasted with that of Die Welt’s where they repeatedly boasted all of the newspapers accomplishments. With BMW, we were presented with the impact the innovation would have on consumers and how it would benefit society and the environment as a whole.
Speaking of benefits for the environment, it amazes me so much how much more “green” Germany is than the United States. On our train rides, I always see neighborhoods with each house having solar panels on the roofs. The folks at BMW also mentioned that Angela Merkel wanted to have more electrical cars in the near future, which brings up my next interesting highlight.
Marketing involves politics. I always knew that, but I never had a class on marketing so it was never made completely obvious. I thought it was so interesting how BMW talks with the government about the economics of transportation. It makes me feel like BMW is not just a monster company all for itself, but it also cares about society.
I saw a similarity between BMW and Süddeutsche Zeitung that they both make sacrifices to be the best of the best. BMW sells because it offers “premium” quality and the newspaper survives off of top-notch quality content. These are aspects to which consumers can become loyal.
To end the day the museum was an eye-opener and a lot of fun. I enjoyed seeing all of the super old cars and learning about their history. I’m sure my dad, who is a car buff, will really enjoy the pics!
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