To the extent that historical press releases reference BMW Manufacturing Co., LLC as the manufacturer of certain X model vehicles, the referenced vehicles are manufactured in South Carolina with a combination of U.S. origin and imported parts and components.
PressClub USA · Article.
BMW UNVEILS NEW ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN FOR BMW PERFORMANCE DRIVING SCHOOL
Mon Jun 18 20:00:00 CEST 2007 Press Release
Woodcliff Lake, NJ - June 18, 2007... With a new campaign featuring offbeat characters from driving lessons past, BMW of North America will encourage drivers to consider how times have changed since their first lesson - and who taught them. With elements such as an independent, non-branded micro-site and viral videos, BMW of North America tackles more than just what car to drive as it launches "Relearn to Drive," a creative campaign for the BMW Performance Driving School in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with Austin-based GSD&M. The campaign, which begins Tuesday, June 19, aims to bring the BMW Performance Driving School to life by posing the question, "Who taught you to drive?" The campaign will drive people to visit www.RelearnToDrive.com, which is centered on the idea that much of what drivers originally learned was incorrect or no longer applies, and the BMW Performance Driving School is the place to right those wrongs.
"Relearn to Drive" Encourages Drivers to Consider New Skills Needed for Today
Woodcliff Lake, NJ - June 18, 2007... With a new campaign featuring offbeat
characters from driving lessons past, BMW of North America will encourage
drivers to consider how times have changed since their first lesson - and who
taught them. With elements such as an independent, non-branded micro-site and
viral videos, BMW of North America tackles more than just what car to drive as
it launches "Relearn to Drive," a creative campaign for the BMW Performance
Driving School in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with Austin-based GSD&M. The
campaign, which begins Tuesday, June 19, aims to bring the BMW Performance
Driving School to life by posing the question, "Who taught you to drive?" The
campaign will drive people to visit www.RelearnToDrive.com, which is centered
on the idea that much of what drivers originally learned was incorrect or no
longer applies, and the BMW Performance Driving School is the place to right
those wrongs.
The campaign will appear in select auto and lifestyle publications, such as
Roundel, Autoweek and Road and Track; online via driving enthusiast sites, such
as AutoWeek.com and RacingSchools.com; video sites, including YouTube and
Google Video; and on postcards distributed at BMW events nationwide this
summer. The campaign will also appear in The Onion - in print and online - as
part of a sponsorship.
The "Relearn to Drive" web site features videos of nine eccentric, over-the-top
characters that capture the multitude of ways people may have been taught to
drive, including several listed below:
* Mom insists that her son must always use two feet when driving, despite what
his father tells him;
* Dad, nervous with clipboard and checklist in hand, gives his son a strict
lesson;
* Grandpa, dressed in his old military uniform, says it's time teach his
grandson to be a man, and driving a car is "just like driving a submarine -
except the car isn't packed with torpedoes;"
Visitors to the site will also be able to send humorous email postcards with
video to friends and family - customized with a link to the video or just the
video - letting them know that perhaps their driving could use some work. In a
separate section of the web site, information and high-quality video footage of
the BMW Performance Driving School in action will be available.
The goal of the campaign is to raise awareness of the BMW Performance Center
and BMW Performance Driving School - a 134-acre, state-of-the-art driving
facility equipped with closed courses, water walls, a skid pad and an off-road
course - as the embodiment of the BMW brand experience for minimal financial
commitment. The Driving School offers several programs, including one- and
two-day Driving Schools, one- and two-day Teen Driving schools, one- and
two-day M Schools for high-performance driving, and an Advanced M School at the
Virginia International Raceway to learn highly aggressive driving techniques on
professional courses.
"Many drivers on the road today have not considered just how times - and cars -
have changed since they learned to drive, and this campaign will serve as an
entertaining wake-up call that perhaps we could all stand to learn something
new," said Jack Pitney, Vice President, Marketing, BMW of North America.
"Increasing awareness of the programs we offer at the BMW Performance Driving
School will let people know there is a fun way to hone those skills we all may
have to use one day, no matter what kind of car they drive."
"BMW's commitment to great ideas goes beyond engineering the best automobiles -
they're dedicated to improving the entire driving experience," said John
McGrath, Vice President of Communications for GSD&M. "This interactive
campaign is a humorous look at how most of us got started behind the wheel and
highlights the opportunity to relearn those skills and upgrade the pleasure of
driving."
About GSD&M
GSD&M is a leading marketing and communications company, founded in 1971 by
friends who wanted to stay together in Austin after graduating from college.
Through Purpose-Based Branding and DynamicCollaboration, GSD&M strives to serve
up visionary ideas that make a difference to our clients' businesses. GSD&M has
helped build many of the world's most successful brands including BMW,
Southwest Airlines, MasterCard, AT&T and the United States Air Force. For more
information go to www.gsdm.com. GSD&M is part of Omnicom Group, Inc. (NYSE:OMC).
BMW Performance Center
The BMW Performance Center, located in Spartanburg, South Carolina, comprises
the BMW Performance Driving School - a 134-acre, state-of-the-art driving
facility equipped with closed courses, water walls, a skid pad and an off-road
course; a multi-purpose conference center; customer delivery center; and a
service, paint and body facility. The 64,000 square-foot complex opened in
1999 and offers multiple BMW Performance Driving School courses year-round from
BMW-certified Driving Instructors for teenagers up to experienced driving
enthusiasts. Programs are open to BMW owners and non-owners alike.
For more information: http://www.bmwusa.com/bmwexperience/PerformanceCenter/.
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, the MINI brand, and the Rolls-Royce
brand of Motor Cars; DesignworksUSA, an industrial design firm 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
Z4 models and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles. 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, 81 MINI
passenger car dealers, and 30 Rolls-Royce Motor Car dealers. BMW (US) Holding
Corp., the BMW Group's sales headquarters for North, Central and South 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.bmwusa.com
www.bmwmotorradusa.com
www.miniusa.com
www.rolls-roycemotorcars.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. Broadcast quality video footage is available via The
NewsMarket at www.thenewsmarket.com.
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