The BMW.com website now has a new face. The German company decided to change its international brand homepage in order to offer its fans more of everything. The changes might seem a focused more on design but according to BMW they go far deeper than that.
BMW is one of the first automotive brands worldwide to adopt an editorial approach using Google AMP technology. The new website is designed to reach a broader audience and serves as the central access point for a wide range of different topics. The subjects mainly revolve around mobility and lifestyle, ranging from brand-related content to design, innovation and performance, to areas beyond the car, such as lifestyle, culture and travel.
There is plenty to explore: articles on electro-mobility, car-sharing and autonomous driving alternate with interesting and entertaining content about urban architecture, crazy traffic rules from around the world or tips for long road trips with pets – always in a brief, easy-to-digest format with extensive multimedia content. In addition to traditional content, such as articles, videos and photo galleries, easy-to-consume “snackable” formats, like listicles and infographics.
“The new BMW.com is much more than a classic relaunch. The website has been rebuilt from scratch and illustrates how we are systematically rethinking and rejuvenating BMW brand communications,” explains Jörg Poggenpohl, Head of Digital Marketing BMW. “We want to offer an informative, entertaining platform with relevant content for all BMW fans and people who have not yet come into contact with our brand – all in an appealing format that fits perfectly with modern communication behaviour.”
BMW is one of the first automotive brands to use Google’s “Accelerated Mobile Pages” (AMP) for mobile loading in less than two seconds. This feature was previously almost exclusively available for articles from classic news providers. As a result, BMW.com slots perfectly into the media behaviour of modern social media users looking to kill time while waiting at the gate or during their lunchbreak, and who prefer to consume media spontaneously on the go.
“For search terms like ‘autonomous driving’, our editorial coverage during the Consumer Electronic Show (CES), came out on top in Google’s unpaid search listings, even ahead of pages like Wikipedia,” explains Poggenpohl. “To achieve this, you need the perfect balance between strong content, modern technology and classic search engine optimization.”
The new BMW.com is more than just another brand platform with interchangeable corporate publishing material. BMW is creating real added value for readers by offering highly relevant content. Static campaign orchestration, which centers more on market launches, new models and product cycles, takes a backseat. Instead, BMW marketing experts adopt an editorial focus, geared towards the individual needs of fans and prospective customers.
