Since taking over from Uwe Ellinghaus in May, UK marketing director Richard Hudson has presided over a raft of marketing initiatives to promote BMW as the most technologically advanced motoring brand. The 40-year-old former direct marketer is at his most animated when discussing the work of the marque's engineers in Germany.
First under the direction of Ellinghaus, and now Hudson, BMW's answer to environmental concerns has been its 'Efficient Dynamics' programme, which the marque claims has resulted in its cars producing lower levels of CO2 emissions through greater efficiency.
Efficient Dynamics is being promoted in the UK with an integrated campaign promising 'Less emissions. More driving pleasure'. The TV execution thanks nature for enhancing the performance of BMW's models, and Hudson is convinced that this subtler approach is preferable to boasting about the brand's technological progress.
'Just to go on about our prowess would be self-indulgent and, frankly, boring,' says Hudson. 'The "Thank you" campaign explains what the benefits of Efficient Dynamics are for drivers.' He claims public spontaneous awareness of the programme has reached 30% in six months.
BMW is hardly the first car brand to tout its green credentials. Toyota and Lexus, for example, have invested heavily in hybrid technology, and Hudson admits to being slightly envious of how the Japanese manufacturer has transformed its hybrid car, the Prius, into a brand-shaping model. But he also cites Lexus' ill-conceived 'High performance. Low emissions. Zero guilt' press campaign, banned by the ASA for misleading consumers, as an example of how not to tackle the green agenda.
'We're not greenwashing, we're promoting BMW as a responsible brand, and one which makes sense from both a rational and emotional point of view,' says Hudson. 'Customers want a car they can enjoy, in our case a premium car, but they don't want to be profligate. We're not trying to promote our green awards - the ASA would haul us over the coals, as it has done, rightly, with Lexus. No car, by its nature, is environmentally friendly.'
This admission is representative of Hudson's attitude to marketing - namely that organisations should not brag unless their claims can be supported with evidence. He refers to BMW as a 'conviction brand', and maintains that its advertising messages are grounded in substance.
In practice, this means we can expect all BMW marketing to be tethered to a mechanical fact.Take, for example, the forthcoming campaign to promote BMW's latest 7 Series, a model that features goodies such as night-vision cameras and internet access. The manufacturer has chosen the strapline 'Never stand still' to push the claim that the model is the most advanced in its sector. 'The job of the 7 Series is to re-establish itself as the flagship car of the BMW range,' says Hudson.
Traditionally, BMW's most famous model has been the 3 Series - the brand's phenomenal growth during the late 90s and early part of this decade was fuelled by sales of the line. But although BMW has issued outdoor and dealership ads encouraging drivers to take a fresh look at the model, Hudson stresses that the brand sells fewer 3 Series than it did 10 years ago.
The marketer takes great pride in BMW's wide choice of models, from the £15,000 1 Series to the £90,000 M6. He claims that management decided five years ago to open up the brand beyond its heartland of business customers. 'We want to offer the best premium car in many different segments,' says Hudson. 'The 1 Series was built to attract a younger customer, when 10 years ago we were selling the 3, 5, and 7 Series predominantly to status-oriented business people.'
Hudson is naturally defensive of BMW drivers. Although the stereotype is one of the more reviled in the public conscious-ness, Hudson describes them positively as people 'willing to pay for a premium car' and looking for the 'best performance' from their vehicle.
With only a 0.13% year-on-year decrease in sales so far this year, compared with the industry average of 7.5%, BMW has been one of the better-performing car manufacturers in the UK. Is there a danger, though, that the popularity of the brand will damage its premium positioning? 'The argument that exclusivity has a direct correlation with volume is simply not the case, although it is sometimes perceived to be so,' says Hudson.
'One of the most premium car brands in Germany is Mercedes. And which car is outside any airport? Mercedes-Benz. It's more about the image of the people who drive the cars. We have to ensure consumers have a premium experience when they buy the car, have the car serviced and attend BMW driver events.'
BMW also needs to ensure that it keeps a close eye on Volkswagen-owned Audi, which is swiftly becoming the brand's nemesis in the UK. Audi has been growing much more quickly than BMW over the past few years, and next year's launch of its small car model, the A1, may well provide the 12,000 extra sales required to leapfrog BMW in the industry pecking order.
The problem for BMW is that it is unable to respond directly to the A1, given its commitment to Mini.
However, it is BMW's response to competitor marketing that may prove more decisive. In May, Mercedes-Benz embarked on a campaign that carried the strapline 'I am Mercedes-Benz', starring Hollywood actor Josh Brolin. The aim was to attract younger drivers by injecting a greater sense of emotion into the brand. In contrast, Hudson plans to continue his predecessor's strategy of giving a technological tone to BMW's communications.
BMW has had a highly successful 15 years, but to sell the benefits of the brand to a new generation of drivers, it must create a fresh message. However, colleagues view Hudson as a strong character able to cope with the difficult times ahead for the car industry. They also praise his pragmatism.
The time may soon come for the latter personality trait to come to the fore, because if the branding fails to capture consumers' imaginations, BMW's many technological advancements may come to nothing.