Abstract

Though the sale of the BMW branded vehicles in North America have been growing at a steady pace, many industry-watchers felt that it was not as big a brand in North America as it is in Europe. With market research data in 2005 suggesting that a very high proportion of people buying luxury cars in the US did not even consider buying BMW, the company attempted to reposition the brand to appeal to the ‘creative class’ rather than relying on its traditional customer base consisting of ‘yuppies’.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Socio-economic classification
• Social class
• Consumer behavior and marketing - market segmentation, targeting, promotion

Keywords

BMW, luxury car, market research, marketing communication, reposition, creative class, promotional campaign, yuppie, brand, core philosophy, corporate culture, Al Ries, Mercedes, Lexus, Cadillac, GSD&M, North America, Europe