In 2010 BMW Motorrad launched its first superbike: the S 1000 RR. This bike addressed a new young and cool audience. Therefore, we had to change BMW Motorrad’s image accordingly. The company used to stand for reliability and comfort. Now it had to become synonymous with boldness and agility, as well.In order to achieve this, we started a viral campaign. Its core was an internet-film. In it, we proved the bike’s power by letting it perform the famous table-trick, in which you yank a tablecloth out from under a beautiful place setting without destroying it. In our film, the S 1000 RR did this in an XXXL-version.

The film triggered a lively discussion in the web. Everybody wondered whether the trick was real or a fake. It was viewed more than 4 million times on YouTube, and it made the S 1000 RR the best sold superbike in 2010. Today, BMW Motorrad is regarded as one of the 'most wicked' motorcycle manufacturers of the world.

We decided to produce a film that would trigger discussion about the S 1000 RR; showing its unique power, and giving it a cool and young appearance.

In our film the S 1000 RR performed the famous table trick: you quickly pull a tablecloth out from under a place setting so that it stays on the table without being destroyed. With the S 1000 RR we did it in XXXL. This way we proved the power of the bike in an entertaining way and triggered the crucial question: is this real or is it fake?

We reached more than 4 million views on YouTube and got people really involved with our film. It was added by 12,000 people as a favorite, more than 5,600 gave it a positive rating and more than 1,531 comments were written.

Articles and numerous take-offs of the film appeared everywhere on the web. In the end, many TV stations worldwide noticed this buzz. This way, discussion of the film spilled over into mass media – and back into the web.

Altogether we reached almost 20 million people, earned free media coverage worth over 1.7 million euros and a number of views worth 1.5 million euros if it would have been seeded professionally – from a production budget of under 10,000 euros.

The commercial profit: The S 1000 RR became market leader in 2010, selling twice as many units as the second best. We turned low budget into absurdly overproportional impact.