The Joy of...BMW?

BMW's latest campaign by agency Dare is predicated on the idea that you buy a BMW for the 'joy' of it...hmm... is it me or does this just seem...well...wrong?

Joy in a Jar

The whole concept that 'joy' is at the heart of any decision to buy a BMW seems to jar with their long held positioning based on status and quality.  I know the campaign was originally commissioned for the launch of their new improved Z4 (which incidentally does look so much better than its Batmobile predecessor), but the extension to the whole product range just simply doesn't ring true for me.

Keeping up with the Joneses

People don't buy a BMW for the fun of it.  If they want fun they buy a Mini (which begs the question of whether BMW just applied the campaign to the wrong part of the company..?)  The truth is, people buy a BMW to impress other people.  You may argue; but in your heart of hearts BMW driver, you know it's true.

So why do it? 

Trying to reposition a major brand in one of the worst slumps the car industry has ever seen is a brave move, but perhaps it's seen as a necessity.  Maybe the idea is that we all need cheering up because of the recession, -so buying a BMW is a treat that will make us feel better. The danger here is that you end up with an extremely confused brand proposition that doesn't actually meet the needs of any of your customer groups.  Showing a picture of old beamers at an owner's rally just doesn't have the same charm as it would if they had all been owners of a Ford Capri, and is likely to call in to question the exclusivity that's been a part of the BMW brand architecture for decades.

C'mon - buy a Beamer, it's fun!

BMW seem to have chosen a positioning somewhere between the cheaper brands that offer 'fun' (e.g. Mazda's 'zoom zoom', Vauxhall Corsa's 'C'mon'), and the mid life crisis cars (e.g. Porsche), but who is their customer? What does the joyful BMW driver look like? And can they maintain their price premium in this market space?  Who knows, but sometimes the boldest moves can be the most successful.  You never know, next week when the economy has recovered (!) we might all be going out and buying BMWs in crazy colours for the sheer joy of it...