BMW uses its Instagram channel to share the BMW brand lifestyle with its followers – through the latest news on upcoming models, glimpses of its own history or looking ahead to the future of mobility.
With its focus on strong visuals and a highly-interactive community, BMW said Instagram was the ideal channel for communicating the brand values of joy (“sheer driving pleasure”), aesthetic appeal and innovation.
Growing the community was not top priority, it said, adding that it was more important to cover a wide variety of topics with relevant content that appeals to users and increases their involvement in the form of likes and comments.
In addition to "influencer" marketing, the brand also leveraged on fan enthusiasm. Under the hashtag #BMWrepost, BMW shared photos taken by enthusiasts and hobby photographers with the community.
As a result, #BMW has been used more than 19 million times and is by far the most popular brand hashtag in the automotive sector.
"The aim of our social media strategy is to optimise how we use the special features of the specific channels available to us,” said BMW digital marketing chief Jörg Poggenpohl.
“Instagram is made for initiating authentic dialogue with followers worldwide. It is important to us not only to celebrate our own achievements, but, above all, to share the excitement and enthusiasm of our fans and customers with an audience of millions.”
