BMW changing slogan. Hat tip - Left Lane News.

There was a story in the Wall Street Journal last week (Aug 3) about this. "BMW hopes the approach will broaden its position in market share and appeal to a group the company calls "the idea class" -- upscale car-buyers who are swayed more by artistic values than horsepower.

BMW's shift in direction began last year, after an internal study revealed 1.9 million consumers bought luxury cars in 2004, and 1.4 million of them didn't even consider BMW. Of those, about 600,000 said they were looking for cars that are fun to drive -- which should be BMW's forte.

This "idea class" is made up of self-motivated architects, professionals, innovators and entrepreneurs, and numbers about 1.5 million people. They typically are not car nuts although they buy luxury automobiles. They prize innovation, authenticity and, above all, independent thinking."

:nono:

Also read this on Leftlane News, that guy must be on some good crack and I want to know where I can get some of the stuff he is using. After 30 years of building your cars around performance & driver realated enviroments you will change it to the most disatrous slogans ever invented I doubt it!! Any BMW board member who approves just a terrible brand imagine should fird be ASAP

i bought my bmw's cause it was "the ultimate driving machine," now im going to buy a car from "a company of ideas?" doesnt sound right to me :nono: BMW dont change your name! all the current bmw owners are going to hate it :ermm: A company idea of ideas <--- Ugh! sounds like something like Ford would say no doubt! :blink: bmw rethink your slogan, i think it perfectly fine :lol: im hoping that my message would get to that bmw north america rep :whistle:

:lol: ^_^

They're not changing the slogan..... That was a rentaquote ad guy looking to generate some column inches in the article you found... The WSJ article you mentioned was much better, it essentially covered the target market and demographic of the 1.4 million buyers of upscale cars that didn't consider a BMW. One was an architecht who said that "handling and the thump in the back when you accelerate" were his key criteria - which was why he bought a Lexus LS430... That's what BMW are dealing with - a lot of buyers with a lot of cash who don't get the engineering thing but look more favorably on the things highlighted in the article. This campaign isn't speaking to (and isn't intended to target) those of us who already get it, it's trying to stop pillocks like that architect dropping 50 large at the Lexus dealer and thinking he's got himself a performance sedan. The 'ideas and innovations" ads do all reference the ultimate driving machine and focus on the processes that let BMW get to build them.

Never mind. Left-Lane clarification.

Thats just messed up... I bought my BMW because of the driving pleasure... I wouldn't change that of BMW. Plus if they step up into the Luxury market, it might be tough since MB is just really good in the field... hmmm.... dono wat else to say...