2022 Winners & Shortlists

Background

BMW has doubled down on its promise of a more sustainable future by committing to deliver 25 electrified models on road by 2023. Die-hard fans however, have mixed feelings about this transition because they will miss the roaring sounds of the BMW M combustion engine. How could we ease our primary customer base into an entirely new era, while still giving them a chance to hold on to what they love most about our current generation of cars.

Describe the strategy

As the race for electrification heats up among the leading automotive brands, we wanted to start closest to home by converting our most die-hard fans. The biggest challenge here was the perception motor-heads have about electric cars in terms of sheer power which translates to the thunderous sounds of the combustion engine. This campaign not only gave us a chance to acknowledge their avid fandom, but also an opportunity to tell them more about the BMW M electric lineup. It also doubled up as a great way to catch the attention of fence sitters and loyalists of competitor brands to imagine the perks of driving a BMW.

Describe the execution

19 BMW M owners were invited for a unique track-day opportunity at Dubai Autodrome. Each car was rigged with high fidelity recording devices that captured the engines sounds in detail. Former DTM champion, Bruno Spengler was invited to set the pace as an added incentive. The audio output of each car was visualized using a bespoke data visualizer created specifically for this campaign and turned into NFTs. The NFTs were promoted and revealed to the world across our social channels including Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat and TikTok. The massive digital screens at our showrooms also displayed the eye catching art pieces in their full glory.

List the results

The ownership of the NFTs have been transferred to the drivers and will perpetually create value for the holders over and above the nostalgic sentiment, by unlocking exclusive experiences and previews from the brand. The 1 of 1 ethically-created NFTs were minted using an environmentally friendly blockchain. They are quite coveted by collectors on opensea.io. BMW became the first auto brand to successfully launch an NFT of this kind. Even the most seasoned critiques of the NFT world were impressed by the clever use of the engine sounds to create an NFT that’s more than just a fad. And for our die-hard fans, (past, present and future) we created an entirely new way to celebrate their love for our cars. The campaign has garnered press coverage worth millions, and more importantly, the applications for test driving the upcoming electric models have seen a massive spike (+45%) since the launch