To spark a shift in perception and celebrate this business landmark, we spectacularly transformed our oldest landmark, one that has never been used before for communication purposes. The four-cylinder tower in Munich – BMW’s headquarters and symbol of the gasoline engine – became thus, on December 18th 2017, an icon of BMW’s vision for the future. For the delivery of the 100,000th electrified BMW, we invited people to the tower to celebrate this historic moment together. A carefully choreographed spectacle of light turned the four cylinders into four 101-metre-high electric batteries.

Over 500 mobile head lights and projectors, 128 tons of equipment, 820 m3 of material and 6 months of planning turned the 45-year-old landmark into an image that spread around the world, highlighting BMW’s transformation. Designed by Austrian architect Karl Schwanzer, the tower was built between 1968 and 1972 and officially inaugurated the following year. The main tower consists of four vertical cylinders that mimic those of a typical petrol engine. The 4 cylinders are standing next to and across from each other. Each cylinder is divided horizontally in its centre by a mould in the façade. We incorporated these details in our projection rendering of a typical electric battery with its plus and minus poles. The event was shared on BMW’s social media channels from where it spread further, in record time.

As a direct consequence of our bold message, BMW’s business landmark - 100,000 electrified cars sold in 2017, was widely reported all over the world by more than 100 news platforms and blogs. Both by mainstream media, from The Guardian to The New York Times, and automotive media, from Motor Authority to Automobile. The initiative generated over 148 million PR impressions worldwide and BMW has increased its customers’ consideration for switching to an electric vehicle in the future. The image of the four giant electric batteries become viral and to this day it is the most liked post on BMW’s Instagram page. The image of the four giant electric batteries become viral and to this day it is the most liked post on BMW’s Instagram page.