In order to sustain particularly advantageous sales conditions for its 5 Series Sedan and Touring models, BMW asked us to come up with an idea to improve the number of test drive bookings.

The traditional 15-minute test drive within the area near the dealership is not enough to try out a car with so many features like the 5 Series cars, which were created to get the most amount of pleasure out of the driving experience. They need something more: a journey.

We decided to extend it from 15 minutes to 24 hours, creating the first test drive that lasts for a whole day. For the promo, we created our direct mail with the same graphics as the Smartboxes, suggesting a series of experiences to combine with the test drive.

The Smartbox (a gift box that’s really popular in Italy) offers some really lovely experiences: from fine wine and food to spa breaks and city culture trips.

The Direct Mail campaign for support the promo, in 3 different versions, was sent out in the post to around 150,000 prospects, and displayed in BMW dealerships just like Smartbox gift boxes in shopping centres. The official sales data is not available yet, but test drive bookings for BMW’s 5 Series Touring and Sedan cars have increased by 19% compared to the same month last year.

BMW has received hundreds of telephone calls and thank-you e-mails from people who have been enthusiastic about the experience. These are extraordinary results when you think that implementing our idea cost less than 5.000 Euros.

Combining the experience that you can have when you receive a Smartbox with a test drive lasting 24 hours is an original way of giving a new lease of life to a tool that has now become obsolete, the traditional test drive.

In a desperately struggling car market, in order to gain new clients, we haven’t given them the experience, but we have offered them the possibility of choosing from a range of enjoyable activities.