BMW of North America

Internet solution gives BMW competitive edge

Discovery

For more than a decade, BMW of North America has used Claritas' marketing data, software and consultation for site location, market analysis and sales performance analysis of the dealerships in its retailer network. Market information and analyses were provided by BMW's corporate marketing staff at the request of field staff (business development managers and marketing managers) who work directly with the dealers.

However, this arrangement became less feasible as BMW of North America grew and the field staff's need for market information and analysis increased. Field staff often experienced delays for requested market information.

The increasing demands for market analysis and information limited the Corporate Center Development staff's time for more strategic functions. The monthly production and distribution of printed reports to hundreds of BMW dealers became overwhelming for all.

When BMW's corporate headquarters decided to focus all resources on increasing sales volume, a change in the dissemination of information was needed. The Corporate Center Development staff needed to be freed from its role as information provider in order to take on more strategic responsibilities. And the field staff needed an efficient system for market information and analysis. Clearly, the solution was a new system that provided field staff with direct access to market data and analysis whenever and wherever needed.

Strategy

BMW of North America already maintained a corporate intranet which the field staff used routinely to access retailer financials, check vehicle supply and delivery status, and view marketing information for advertising, prospecting and material fulfillment.

BMW headquarters assigned Claritas to create an extension of the Intranet that field staff could use for market information and analysis. The extension should instantly provide all the data, functionality and templates field staff needed for on-site market analyses and reports. To make it easier for field staff to learn and use this new Internet-based resource, BMW asked that it be formatted with the same look as the corporate intranet. The new market resource provides solutions for several critical business issues:

Help BMW centers define and focus on assigned primary marketing areas (PMAs)
Help BMW centers understand the lifestyle characteristics of the people who live in their PMA down to the ZIP code level
Increase PMA–specific market share with more effective channel distribution
Eliminate center cannibalization by helping dealers target the competition, not other dealers
Increase dealers' marketing effectiveness by helping them develop consistent, customer-focused marketing messages appropriate to their PMA

Implementation

Claritas designed and developed, and now hosts and maintains, PRIMAA–an Internet-based market information and analysis system exclusively for BMW's field staff. PRIMAA is an acronym for Primary Market Area Analysis.

The PRIMAA system gives field staff instant access to market data and analysis via a web browser wherever they are – in the office or the field.

PRIMAA addresses all of the critical business issues identified by BMW. Working with the BMW field staff, BMW centers will use PRIMAA to answer the following strategic marketing questions:

Who are my best customers? What are they like? How do I reach them?
What is the structure of my Primary Market Area (PMA)?
Who are my competitors? Where are they located?
How is my market performance in comparison with my market's potential?
How does my market performance compare to other BMW centers?
Where can I do better?

Measurement

“Claritas provided us with a complete solution that was easy to use and well supported. Due to the positive response received from the field, we have plans to add increased functionality and additional data groups . . . and to connect the PRIMAA site to desktop systems at the national offices to leverage other internal data sources,“ said Patti Mills, Sr. Market Representation Analyst, BMW of North America.

PRIMAA's capabilities and flexibility give BMW and its field staff a competitive edge in the industry. In fact, the sophisticated level of market analysis and its strategic applicability differentiates BMW and its field sales from the competition with a branded "BMW approach" to PMA analysis and local market planning.

Not every solution is measured in dollars and cents. One issue that PRIMAA solved was how to report BMW center monthly pump-in/pump-out (cross-sell) reports in an efficient way. The PRIMAA system eliminates the need to produce and distribute hundreds of hard-copy reports by making this information instantly available and automatically updated over the Intranet.

For more information on Intranet delivery of Claritas information, contact your Claritas representative or call 1-866-737-7429