In the quest
to find new alternatives to mainstream print and television media, BMW has taken its famed online movies concept to its
next logical step: podcasting. As with the aforementioned Internet shorts, the German automaker isn't simply presenting
informational media... it has paired up with publisher Random House and a number of notable authors to create
audiobooks featuring the automaker's wares.
The automaker's novel [ahem] product placement will feature at
least four authors: Don Winslow (Beautiful Ride), James Flint (Master of the Storm), Simon Kernick
(The Debt), and Karin Slaughter (Cold Cold Heart), with the stories being released biweekly over the
next two months. The first podcast, Winslow's tale centers on a down on his luck Gold Coast businessman who loses
everything in a failed IPO, but keeps his BMW. The protagonist's Z4 convertible is featured (less-than-subtly) in the
course of the 50-minute story, while subsequent episodes will highlight the 1-Series, 7-Series, and X3.
BMW
hopes that the WCRS ad-agency conception will play well with MP3-enabled consumers who have grown tired of mainstream
marketing ploys, and enjoy similar success to their critically-acclaimed short movie series.
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