Changing a Winning Ad Slogan for No Good Reason

Some Marketers Learn Nothing From Others' Past Mistakes

By Al Ries

Published: August 06, 2006

Back in 1974, BMW sold 15,007 automobiles in the American market, which made the brand the 11th largest-selling European vehicle. Here are U.S. sales of the top ten that year:

1. Volkswagen 334,515

2. Capri 75,260

3. Fiat 72,029

4. Opel 59,279

5. Volvo 53,043

6. Audi 50,432

7. Mercedes-Benz 38,170

8. MG 25,015

9. Porsche 21,022

10. Triumph 18,396

The following year, BMW's new agency, Ammirati Puris AvRutick, launched an advertising campaign that would make both the agency and the brand famous: "The ultimate driving machine."

31 years

It's been 31 years since the launch of the ultimate driving machine. So how is BMW doing? Not bad.

Last year BMW was the largest-selling European brand in the American market. Here are U.S. sales of the top ten.

1. BMW 266,200

2. Mercedes-Benz 224,269

3. Volkswagen 224,195

4. Volvo 123,587

5. Audi 83,066

6. Land Rover 46,175

7. Mini 40,820

8. Porsche 31,933

9. Jaguar 30,424

10. Bentley 3,654

Owning a word

One of the most important conceptual ideas in marketing is "owning a word in the mind." In almost every market, in almost every category, the leading brands are brands that can be identified by a single word or concept. BMW owns "driving." Mercedes-Benz owns "prestige." Volvo owns "safety."

Three of the top four European automobile brands own a word in the mind, but what about the No. 3 brand, Volkswagen?

Volkwagen is a fading star. Among today's European market leaders, it's the only brand that has actually lost sales in the U.S. market in the past two decades. Ironically, it's a brand that got to be the leader by owning a powerful concept in the mind. "Small, ugly, reliable."

After its remarkable marketing victory, what do you suppose BMW is going to do next? It's the Curse of the New Generation. With a new executive vice president of operations at BMW of North America and a new advertising agency, the brand is about ready to launch a new advertising slogan, according to an article in the July 10 issue of Automotive News.

The new slogan: "A Company of Ideas."

Article continued

Full URL: http://adage.com/article?article_id=110963

Idiots!

A company of ideas? Sounds more like General Electric than BMW.

Edited August 8, 200619 yr by BigPontiac

A Company of Idiots? I agree!

:rotflmao::rotflmao::rotflmao::rotflmao:

...

"A Company of Ideas"?... It makes them sound like a bunch of nerds... or Toyota.

The old slogan was perfect for BMW. Who cares if it's 31 years old. It was only the truth in a lot of cases.

Edited August 8, 200619 yr by Captainbooyah

Every company can qualify as a company of ideas-bad or good.

BMW just had a very bad idea. "The Ultimate Driving Machine" was a great slogan-why fix what's not broken, BMW?

:rotflmao:

BMW has not been proving that others can not also be the ultimate driving machines.

It is a great slogan and changing is crazy

I do like their great ideas commercials but I still would not change the slogan

I surely hope GM is becoming a company of great actions

Great ideas are worthless unless they are put into action...........I do believe that is part of the point of BMW's new commercials.

Now theres a slogan

Great ideas are worthless unless put into action

Edited August 8, 200619 yr by razoredge

As far as I understand, "A Company of Ideas" is an ad campaign, not a tagline.

BMW will retain "The Ultimate Driving Machine" tagline according to several sources.

This is old, and apparently misleading news.

I'm waiting for The O.C. to see this!

'Beyond Precision' isn't looking so bad at the moment.

Perhaps Pontiac is taking "Ultimate Driving Machine" back; it's where BMW got it from in the first place.

I'm waiting for The O.C. to see this! 

'Beyond Precision' isn't looking so bad at the moment. 

177397[/snapback]

Actually.....I agree with Bimmer325.....

They won't give up the tagline......and "Ideas" is probably just an ad campaign.

How about:

A Company of iDiots (a la I-Drive)

*crickets*

Anyone? Anyone? Beuller?

Edited August 8, 200619 yr by Paolino

Quote: One of the most important conceptual ideas in marketing is "owning a word in the mind." In almost every market, in almost every category, the leading brands are brands that can be identified by a single word or concept. BMW owns "driving." Mercedes-Benz owns "prestige." Volvo owns "safety."

And Toyota is special because it owns several words to identify it: bland, souless, appliance, fugly.

Quote: It's the curse of the medern generation:

Never truer words spoken. It utterly amazes me how many fundamentally poor decisions come from these modern day nerds who come up with things like I-drive, current styling trends, making everything over in China and more things than I care to remember.

"A company of ideas" ?!?!?!?!?

LMAO.... Does anyone else see the irony in that and the subsequent ditching (Bad idea) of their AWESOME slogan?

Idiots..... But, then again, the 'Bangle Bullsh*t' worked itself out, so why not?

Perhaps Pontiac is taking "Ultimate Driving Machine" back; it's where BMW got it from in the first place.

177456[/snapback]

True. I think over the years BMW has done well wiht ultimate driving machine.

Why fix what is not broken? WTF is up with this whole change for the sake of

change mentality we're stuck in?

Like Bimmer325 said, it is just an additional ad campaign for NA. They aren't changing the slogan.