Chinese customers are continuously interested in rather large cars. Drawing attention to a smaller vehicle therefore needed something out of the usual. Or out of this world.

In mid August 2011 pictures and 4 video clips were released to the internet, showing an enormous discovery in the Qinghai area: a huge symmetric sand circle. This material caused a level of attention and controversy which was much larger than foreseen. Within and outside of China people were speculating about the origin. UFO and Alien believers all over the globe were wildly discussing. TV Stations, reporters and government officials went to visit Xining and investigated where the circle would be.

For 3 days this campaign was on #1 at Sina Weibo. The mystery was revealed when the 2:30min ‘making of’ was released. A group of young adults take 3 BMW 1 Series cars to the desert area. They create the symbol by precise driving. This exciting clip positioned the 1 Series as the right car for the job and the target audience and was well received by the market.

It was followed up by another longer video, showing the same group creating that same symbol while driving by a large canvas, throwing paint balls out of the car. This again positioned the 1 Series as the exciting car of choice for the group. The clip ended in a call-to-action to register for the BMW 1 Series Driver Challenge, so that the audience could experience this young exciting lifestyle for themselves. All related videos triggered some 15Million views within the month.

There will be a final phase to the campaign later in 2011, revealing the meaning behind the sand symbol.

» Link to video 1
» Link to video 2

Job: BMW 1 Series family UFO campaign
Client: BMW China
Year: 2011
Agency: Interone China
Role: Creative direction

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