Enabling BMW NE to establish total brand consistency across all regions
Learn how BMW Northern Europe prioritised brand consistency across every area of their organisation.
Papirfly has revolutionised how BMW NE control and
communicate their employer brand identity:
400+
BMW NE employees creating for their dealerships
7
countries with unique portals in their own language
100%
complete brand consistency at every touchpoint
BMW NE’s challenge
Since 1916, BMW has prided itself on delivering sheer driving pleasure to motorists all over the world. To protect this legacy and strengthen their brand’s regional presence, BMW Northern Europe’s (BMW NE’s) over 400 employees work with numerous creative agencies and an expansive network of automotive dealerships.
With countless different languages, locations and audiences to consider, BMW NE found it difficult to manage their brand efficiently. Maintaining a consistent identity from their central marketing team right the way through to their individual dealerships was becoming an ongoing challenge.
Aligning BMW NE’s brand across all regions
Additionally, because their team worked with automotive dealers that were partnered with multiple car manufacturers, the slow communication and complicated administration associated with their existing approach left BMW at risk of losing their position as a preferred manufacturer.
BMW NE needed an in-house solution that could centralise their marketing responsibilities, streamline communication between stakeholders, and empower their local dealers to execute campaigns without compromising their enduring brand image.
“Working with multiple creative agencies, dealers and internal employees across seven countries makes Papirfly’s system a “must-have” for us. Unified communication and the seamless sharing of assets from one single location keeps our dealers on-brand in all the material they use.”
Marie Dellbrant,
Brand Director / CMO
BMW Northern Europe
Searching for a platform to unify consistency and communication
With clear problems to solve, BMW NE began the search for a software solution that could make managing their brand faster and easier. This meant finding a programme that could:
- Communicate every aspect of their brand to individual divisions with absolute clarity, from brand guidelines and templates to key product information
- Centralise assets in line with their company’s structure, so partners could easily find and access the collateral they needed
- Delegate user permissions based on their internal hierarchy, without disconnecting brand and corporate strategy from local initiatives
- Be used easily by every stakeholder, from back-end administrators and creative agencies, to individual dealerships and employees
With these criteria in mind, BMW NE were pleased to discover Papirfly’s all-in-one brand management platform. Regarded for its exceptional usability and capability, the team were quick to get started and steer their marketing efforts towards a more consistent, efficient future.
Enabling BMW NE’s brand to flourish in a competitive market
Equipped with tools to streamline complex processes and unite their identity across all areas, the team at BMW NE finally had the solution their brand needed to thrive. Time to market could be significantly reduced, local dealers could publish on-brand collateral with confidence, and total brand consistency could be achieved everywhere from regional offices down to individual merchants.
A single source of truth for every division
Creating a foundation for future brand success, the BMW NE team started by developing distinct brand homes for their 5 divisions in the Northern Europe region. These were spread across 7 countries, with each hub built in the relevant language and connected to a Digital Asset Management (DAM) library.
This allowed the dealerships, employees and agencies they worked with to access the pre-approved guidelines, templates and product information they needed. As a result, internal teams could spend less time resolving problems, and instead focus their attention on proactively strengthening their brand with one clear, harmonious message.
A seamless central hub for every asset
By seamlessly linking their distinct brand hubs to a centralised asset library, BMW NE’s team were also able to logically categorise every asset at their disposal, from car model photographs and scenic landscapes to videos, marketing collateral and guides.
Paired with the ability to adapt and produce professional-grade assets in a matter of minutes, marketing teams and dealerships could develop localised content for their audiences without stressing over guidelines or learning design software.
With brand governance, content organisation and on-brand asset production achievable in a few clicks, BMW NE can breathe easy knowing that local dealers can never go off-piste when creating collateral. The result? BMW’s identity is preserved. Time to market is decreased. Brand management and sales workflows run smoothly. Local dealers have full flexibility without breaking brand rules.
“Our platform ensures dynamic workflows between our central marketing and our dealers. The answers to their questions are available 24/7. Thanks to our Brand Hub we are able to work proactive instead of solving cases ad hoc.”
Marie Dellbrant,
Brand Director / CMO
BMW Northern Europe
A simpler, smarter future for a legendary automotive brand
Now that Papirfly’s brand management platform is a core part of BMW NE’s marketing operations, the group has optimised workflows between regional offices and local dealerships, improved the accessibility and usability of their collateral, and significantly accelerated their asset creation and campaign execution – all while maintaining a consistent brand identity throughout.
All of this has enabled BMW NE to greatly reinforce their brand’s presence in the region, and continue delivering enthusiasm, fascination and thrills to drivers around the globe.
