BMW Canada Leans Into Game-Changing Talent to Launch the First-Ever BMW XM.

Richmond Hill, ON.  BMW Canada has partnered with professional basketball champion Serge Ibaka, Canada’s only two-star Michelin Award-winning chef Masaki Saito and digital mural artist Maalavidaa on an anthology video series to promote the first-ever BMW XM Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV) – the first high-performance vehicle from BMW M with an electrified powertrain.

The series, which ran on YouTube and BMW.ca, offered a glimpse into the mindsets of Ibaka, Saito and Maalavidaa, each of whom is considered a game-changer in their respective field.  Each piece integrated clips and details of the BMW XM throughout.

The goals of the campaign were to build awareness and create engagement around an all-new model that opens the door to a previously untapped customer set in an entirely new market segment for BMW.  The results have been positive: the innovative approach of partnering with three notable game changers has clearly resonated with the target consumer, increasing BMW XM sales during the campaign timeframe. 

“The concept of partnering with Serge, Chef Saito and Maalavidaa and sharing their unique stories was a truly unique and innovative way to introduce this all-new model to Canadians,” said Ryan Chu, National Manager of Brand Communications at BMW Canada. “We believe the BMW XM is a genuine game-changer in the automotive space.  We therefore needed to develop a completely different strategy than other campaigns because the vehicle is completely different, as is its audience.  Choosing these stand-out partners highlighted this sentiment in a crystal-clear fashion.” 

Ibaka’s story focuses on his return to Toronto, a city that played a pivotal role in his basketball career, while also profiling his passions away from the game, specifically fashion. The video highlights the limited-edition XM jacket he helped design, which was available for limited-time purchase. Chef Saito’s story explores how the combination of his masterful skill and unique approach to sourcing ingredients have helped him make a name for himself on the global culinary stage. Maalavidaa created an anthology video series which focuses on her unconventional approach to the artistic process and what inspired her latest creation for the BMW XM.

The campaign, which kicked off in the summer, has run across Meta, TikTok, YouTube and Connected TV with cutdowns of the full-length videos and photo-based assets.  It also lives on BMW.ca, and will do so until the end of November.

“We went in an all-new direction with this campaign,” concluded Chu.  “Our emotional and engaging approach was definitely a win; we’ve seen an increase in awareness and sales of the all-new XM over the course of the program. And we believe we’ve sparked a flame for the brand overall.”

-30-

For more information, please contact:

Marc Belcourt

Director, Corporate Communications

BMW Group Canada

905-428-5078 / marc.belcourt@bmwgroup.ca                                             

Barb Pitblado
Manager, Corporate Communications

BMW Group Canada

905-428-5005 / barb.pitblado@bmwgroup.ca