BMW of North America launched 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 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.