#MARKiesAwards MY 2021 highlight: BMW roars to victory with AR showroom experience

The automotive market took a huge hit when lockdowns were implemented in Malaysia as it meant that potential buyers could not leave their homes nor visit showrooms for test drives and viewings. BMW Malaysia was quick to notice the shift in consumer behaviours and the advent of digitalisation. The automotive brand then worked with Entropia to launch a web-based AR showroom to allow consumers to view and experience its latest X5 model from the comfort of their homes. BMW ability to think quick on its feet and tweak its campaign offerings to suit the changing needs of consumers impressed the judges and secured them the silver award for Most Creative – Launch / Re-Launch at A+M's MARKies Awards Malaysia 2021. 

Challenge 

In early 2020, BMW Malaysia was preparing to launch its leading model for the highly affluent drivers - the BMW X5 Plug-in Hybrid - but car showrooms had to temporarily cease operations when the Movement Control Order (MCO) implemented a nation-wide lockdown. 

Its audience was legally unable to walk out of their homes, let alone drive out to buy a new car, and being unable to see and experience the car in the showroom was a major deterrent. The lockdown dealt a massive blow to the automotive industry.  

BMW wanted to re-engineer the way its cars were experienced and purchased. BMW then worked with Entropia to launch a web AR showroom. The decision came following trends that rose from the pandemic: mobile as a primary media platform, virtual experiences, and digital transformation in customer experience. 

BMW's AR showroom enabled users to see, hear, feel and experience the X5 from the comfort of their homes. This was achieved through web-based AR technology, all without needing the use of a specific mobile application. 

The AR showroom was set up to retain people's interest in the X5; encourage drivers to engage with BMW's showroom and spend time with the car; garner earned media to maximise its media budgets for maximum impact; and receive more X5 bookings and sales conversions.   

Strategy 

To break the convention that a showroom doesn’t need to have a physical space, BMW made its showroom as convenient to access as possible. Showrooms were its highest-converting sales channel not only because its audience could see the car upfront but also because it's where they were further convinced with information about the car. In bringing the showroom online, BMW needed to ensure that its online showroom does the same. Most importantly, all of BMW's showroom sales techniques needed to have a specific targeting towards its highly affluent drivers. 

Hence, BMW devised a three-gear showroom strategy to drive its audience down the marketing funnel: Immerse yourself with the car, involve yourself more with the car and initiate yourself to book the car.  

Execution 

BMW created 3D models from scratch for the X5. Each model was built through powerful 3D engines, crafted with details across 360° angles. Drivers could also immerse themselves with the car in new ways through interactions such as: positioning the X5 in a real-life environment; customising the X5 in different colours, scaling the X5, viewing all angles of the X5; testing the X5's unique features and car performance; and booking the X5 after viewing the price list and specs sheet, straight to their nearest BMW dealer.  

Similar to a real showroom, drivers could place the X5 in their environment, walk around and inspect it, discover the new features from the digital brochures and even test drive it digitally to see how long it will drive.  

The X5 was first unveiled on an online X5 showroom livestream - served by the CEO of BMW Malaysia Harald Hoelzl. Hoelzl essentially gave the audience a first-hand look at how they could experience the car when it’s in front of them. After the livestream ended, drivers were invited to try out the X5 for themselves through its web AR X5 Showroom.  

Many niche automotive review sites picked up on BMW's innovation and reviewed the X5, further convincing drivers why the car was perfect for them. The X5 was also listed on car auction sites and marketplaces such as Carlist.my.  

BMW then relied on drivers' engagements with its past assets and website to segmentise them based on their deal-breaker points - be it lower monthly payments, or the car's physical features and driving dynamics. Each segment was met with tailored messages on mediums that could hyper-remarket, such as dynamic programmatic displays, Google search ads, and YouTube for Action.  

Results 

Despite the decline of the premium automobile market in Malaysia, BMW's AR showroom reached 94% of its audience and earned 39.6 times earned media value across multiple publishers - including global names such as LifestyleAsia and AutoNewsAsia.  

Drivers also collectively spent over 10,000 hours on its web AR app, a testament to how engaged they were with the experience of the online showroom. Additionally, BMW saw a 73% increase in "BMW X5" searches in June 2020, compared to the same period in 2019 and 6.3 times more bookings on the X5 compared to past campaigns. Most of all, BMW finally beat Mercedes and ranked first in the premium automotive segment in 2020, after being ranked second for seven years, according to The Star and The Edge.