Ahead of the launch of the BMW X2, its first-ever sports activity coupe—the hottest new car type among millennials—BMW (@BMWUSA) was faced with a challenge: How to leverage social media to build mass awareness and drive consideration for a completely new product?
Looking to surprise its customers and distinguish the X2 from others in its class, BMW turned to Twitter, harnessing the platform’s power to connect brands launching something new with an engaged and receptive audience.
The strategy
With few product launches per year and a lengthy buying cycle, BMW recognized the importance of a successful campaign on Twitter that would build mass awareness and drive consideration for its new line.
BMW kick-started its campaign with bold, creative videos teasing the X2. At launch, it leveraged Twitter’s First View product to run a video takeover campaign designed to drive mass awareness of the new car. According to a Nielsen Digital Brand Effect study, compared with U.S. campaigns without First View, those that use First View can increase recall among more people at lower costs. Simply said, the study found that the first ad position on Twitter overdelivers.
BMW combined First View with Twitter’s Promoted Trend product, which nearly doubles ad breakthrough: With 86 percent higher recall on campaigns with First View and Promoted Trend vs. just First View (control vs. exposed). BMW’s campaign on-platform complemented and amplified real-world brand activations at key cultural events. Here are the five key steps of the launch:
