BMW LAUNCHES UNPRECEDENTED ON-LINE GAME STARRING NEW X3
On-Line Driving and Sporting Adventure Mirrors Active Lifestyle of X3 Target
Market
Woodcliff Lake, NJ - December 1, 2003 ... BMW of North America, LLC today
launches the next phase of an aggressive marketing campaign for its newest
entry into the Sports Activity segment, by introducing an unprecedented on-line
gaming experience that centers around the adventurous personality of the X3.
Experts say The BMW X3 Adventure is the richest on-line gaming experience any
automotive company has ever created for promotional use, featuring three
different in-car driving experiences and outdoor sporting activities, including
mountain biking, snowboarding and kayaking adventures. The game - available
free at www.bmwusa.com/newX3 - was designed to mirror the active lifestyles of
the vehicles' prospective purchasers. The new X3 debuted in dealerships on
Friday, November 28, 2003.
Travelers on Jet Blue Airlines got a "sneak peak" of the X3 and the game on
Wednesday, November 26th, at the Jet Blue terminal at New York's JFK airport,
while waiting to check in for Thanksgiving weekend travel. Approximately
20,000 travelers checked-in that day for Jet Blue flights, making it one of the
airlines' busiest travel days of the year. Jet Blue and BMW team members held
travelers' places in line so they could play the BMW X3 Adventure on five
kiosks especially set up for Jet Blue customers. An X3 was also on display in
the terminal.
The BMW X3 Adventure offers unparalleled realism for an on-line promotional
game, such that the precise physics of the car - including the weight of the
car, the length of its axles, its center of gravity, etc. - were taken into
account so that players feel they are really handling an X3 in an outdoor
environment. The game also features state-of-the-art 3-D technology and a near
full-screen size - doubling the standard screen size for on-line games - to
enable a more dramatic gaming experience for users. Players feel as if they
are transported inside the world of the game, where they are actually driving
through snow, boarding down the side of a mountain, navigating a river, and
taking in a full horizon of adventure. Additionally, the game is designed to
play well on all levels and types of computers, so as to broaden the base of
who can experience the game and virtually drive the X3.
Another hallmark of the game is its built-in rival aspects. The game offers a
"challenge a friend" component, so that users can e-mail others to invite them
to play the game and compete on a private scoreboard that only they can
access. Very few on-line games features such functionality, making the BMW X3
Adventure game unique, and uniquely poised to serve as a vital, dynamic means
of marketing the X3.
In an attempt to reach a new audience - one with a passion for performance and
a need for space but at a lower price point than BMW's other Sport Activity
Vehicle, the X5 - BMW is taking bold steps to introduce the versatility of the
X3 in interactive ways. The BMW X3 Adventure game follows the October
placement of wireless kiosks in the shape of surfboards in public spaces
throughout the country, which worked to familiarize prospects with the X3 model
and begin to create buzz for its launch.
"The X3 greatly expands BMW's potential audience, and at much lower price point
than our other Sport Activity Vehicle," said Jim McDowell, Vice President of
Marketing, BMW of North America, LLC. "We designed the X3 for buyers who have
a passion for performance while also needing space to be always on the go with
their snowboard, mountain bike or kayak."
"Our goal for the X3 marketing campaign is to capture the spirit and
personality of the vehicle and its target audience. The BMW X3 Adventure game
continues what we hope will be a fun, evocative campaign that promotes not only
the car, but its personality and the adventure seeking lifestyle it caters to,"
McDowell continued.
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 Corp. in South Carolina is part of BMW Group's
global manufacturing network and is the exclusive manufacturing plant for all
Z4 roadster and X5 Sports Activity Vehicles. The BMW Group sales organization
is represented in the U.S. through networks of 340 BMW passenger car centers,
327 BMW Sports Activity Vehicle centers, 148 BMW motorcycle retailers, 73 MINI
passenger car dealers, and 25 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:
http://www.bmwusa.com
http://www.bmwmotorradusa.com
http://www.miniusa.com
http://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 -
https://newsroom.bmwgroup.com/global/en
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