BMW makes new foray into broadband television, faces the challenges of ad innovation and shows how an active role in the research process can pay off for a partnership.

Jodi Harris: BMW recently announced that it is the exclusive automotive partner to broadband TV site, Joost. How did the deal come about, and what will this sponsorship entail?

Janice Suter is associate media director at GSD&M's Idea City in Austin, Tex. She specializes in Emerging Media and works on a variety of levels to provide education and support to keep GSD&M’s Idea City clients ahead of the curve in new and emerging media platforms.

Janice Suter: It was a combination of good timing and the ability to move quickly. 

Joost kept advertiser participation contained by category exclusivity and content. At the time that we reached out to explore Joost for our clients, beta participation was pretty well locked and loaded. But along the way, we discovered that the automotive category in the U.S. was not yet filled. This was a surprise to us since auto is often first to market with these kinds of opportunities…so we jumped on this for BMW. 

The beta gives BMW category exclusivity in the U.S. to run a variety of unique and innovative ad formats in the online video space across Joost programming. The formats are a fresh twist on the usual pre-roll and include “introstitials,” hand-raisers and interactive overlays, to name a few. On the back-end we get monthly reporting on site usage, frequency, time spent with advertising, etc., to determine ad effectiveness. But the most intriguing component was the opportunity to participate and reap the benefits of custom research, which will shed valuable light on user interaction with the platform and receptiveness to advertising. 

Harris: Joost is gaining recognition in the broadband TV arena for delivering professional content in a community-driven environment. What characteristics of Joost's burgeoning community and online experience were most appealing to the BMW brand?  

Suter: The “invitation only” approach that Joost is using to build their audience truly embodies their commitment to community on this platform. Getting an invitation to experience Joost from a peer is a great way to make people feel part of a community from the onset. 
    
Users of the network find a seamless convergence of top quality television programming with social networking functions, where, for example, you can chat with others in your Joost network around programming that you share an interest in…kind of like a virtual viewing party.

Another thing that attracted us to Joost was the clean, uncluttered and full-screen viewing experience, which looks more like the typical television interface than the other embedded video players out there. The interactive features really draw people in to find, share and customize their content experience and that’s an exciting thing for advertisers to get involved in.

Harris: This partnership comes while Joost is still engaged in its invitation-only beta phase. What benefits does a relatively small audience provide for the BMW brand in terms of engagement and brand perception?  

Suter: Our goal with the beta was not only to be involved in an exciting new innovation in online video, but to gain learnings in how best to tell the story of BMW in this more interactive and dynamic viewing environment. We know that repurposing a TV spot is not the answer, and Joost embraces this philosophy, so we will learn with them through the beta research what forms of messaging are making the most impact. These learnings can be applied beyond Joost to all of our online video efforts.  

In terms of brand perception, this is a perfect fit as it associates BMW with a fresh, innovative spin on online television. BMW has always been known as an innovative brand, both in its models and marketing, so it makes sense to get in on the ground floor and be ahead of the curve on this exploding format.    

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