BMW OF NORTH AMERICA AWARDS MEDIA BUYING AND PLANNING ACTIVITIES CONTRACT TO UM (UNIVERSAL MCCANN).

Woodcliff Lake, NJ – May 28, 2009… BMW of North America today announced that the company has awarded its national and regional media planning and buying activities to UM (New York, NY), with a 3-year contract.

“We are thrilled to have UM onboard as our new media buying and planning partner,” said Jack Pitney, Vice President of Marketing, BMW of North America. “The agency has a solid reputation for excellence, and we look forward to a very productive relationship.”

UM competed against three other agencies for the business, including: GSD&M Idea City, Horizon Media and Carat.

Omnicom Group’s GSD&M Idea City (Austin, TX), agency of record for BMW since November 2005, retains its national creative responsibilities, which were not impacted. Additionally, BMW AG, based in Munich, Germany, recently selected GSD&M Idea City as its lead global agency of creative for BMW brand advertising communications.

The recent review of the media buying and planning activities is part of a regular process put in place by parent company BMW AG. It is designed to maximize efficiencies and increase the effectiveness of BMW’s media planning and buying spend worldwide.

BMW Group In America
BMW of North America, LLC has been present in the United States since 1975. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars NA, LLC began distributing vehicles in 2003. The BMW Group in the United States has grown to include marketing, sales, and financial service organizations for the BMW brand of motor vehicles, including motorcycles, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, a strategic design consultancy in California; a technology office in Silicon Valley and various other operations throughout the country. BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC in South Carolina is part of BMW Group’s global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all X5 Sports Activity Vehicles and X6 Sports Activity Coupes. The BMW Group sales organization is represented in the U.S. through networks of 338 BMW passenger car centers, 335 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 142 BMW motorcycle retailers, 83 MINI passenger car dealers, and 30 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding Corp., the BMW Group’s sales headquarters for North America, is located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey.

Information about BMW Group products is available to consumers via the Internet at:

www.bmwgroupna.com
www.bmwusanews.com
www.press.bmw-motorsport.com

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Journalist note: Information about the BMW Group and its products is available to journalists on-line at the BMW Group PressClub at the following address: www.press.bmwgroup.com and select “USA” from the list of National PressClubs. Broadcast quality video footage is available via The NewsMarket at www.thenewsmarket.com.

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Universal McCann (UM)
UM is a global media communications agency that represents the world’s leading marketers and strategic thinkers including BMW, Coca-Cola, ExxonMobil, Johnson & Johnson, MasterCard, Microsoft, Sony, Bacardi, L’Oreal and UPS. Part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG), UM has roughly 169 offices in 130 countries and more than 3,600 employees with headquarters in New York. UM provides a full spectrum of media services including media and communications planning, digital strategy consultation, analytics and economic modeling and research and consumer insight. Universal McCann became UM under a new branding initiative launched at the end of 2008. The company’s mission is to deliver Curious Minds for Surprising Results.

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