BMW Media Marathon

Situation

BMW Group Hungary initiated a campaign to promote EfficientDynamics and aligned it with the company’s commitment to long-distance running. The Spokesman of the Hungarian subsidiary set up a club for media representatives to prepare together for the BMW Frankfurt Marathon.

Task

Our task was to manage the daily operation of the club, host events, run social media and develop the concept. The basic idea was to prepare people with average fitness to be able to complete the distance of the 2012 BMW Frankfurt Marathon between March and October. BMW Group Hungary allocated budget, merchandise, vehicles and entries for the competitions but they needed further capacity for planning, organization and execution of the project, especially at meetings and events.

Action

Our plan was to invite participants by building on personal relationships and word of mouth in order to have committed members in the club. Following a launch event, expert trainers hosted gatherings multiple times a week. Informal milestones were included in the process to motivate participants and local races were part of the schedule to build team spirit and to verify the results of the preparation. We set up a dedicated Facebook group to support the daily networking of the members and trainers.

The 2012 Ultrabalaton running competition was a major event midway through the project. The team entered the competition to run around Lake Balaton during the 24-hour endurance race. It was our responsibility was to develop a schedule and organize the runners’ transportation by BMW and MINI road cars among the stints, to maintain the time for recreation and to handle the disruptions in the plan.

For the 2012 BMW Frankfurt Marathon, we developed the full travel arrangement for the competitors including cost estimation, vehicle allocation, information materials about the brand and its products, hotel bookings, on-event support and press communication services.

Result

Members of key media outlets joined the initiation before the team expanded by representatives of NGOs, the dealer network, supporting agencies and company employees who were all important stakeholders of the company. The project proved to be an excellent platform for developing strong relationships and a positive way to communicate BMW’s values in a cost-effective way. Several other BMW offices expressed interest in the adaptation of the initiation.

Background

Commissioner: Café Communications
Client: BMW Group Hungary
Supporting agencies: Speak Easy Project, Suhanj! Foundation