In the final session, Vogue Business’s Couttigane hosted a keynote interview with Jennifer Treiber-Ruckenbrod, CMO of BMW Germany, on cultivating lingering and longing through the new language of loyalty. During this conversation, Treiber-Ruckenbrod explained that each of the car brands in the BMW portfolio, whether BMW, Mini or Rolls Royce, has its own loyal following and one of her first tasks was to create segmentations against the different personalities of these brand loyalists. She went on to elaborate on the BMW Excellence Club, a loyalty programme that offers exclusive experiences and cultivates a brand-centric community among its top-paying customers. “We started 11 years ago with the excellence circle, I think with 700. Now, we have a membership of 7,000 that’s increasing from year to year with each new model… What we offer them is an experience once a year, like fine dining, arts, sports experiences, driving experiences, for free, with a great hotel, a cool network.” She added that the opportunity to bring a friend or recommend a guest has grown its word-of-mouth advocacy among its most affluent customers and has not only had a positive impact on sales, but also brought BMW much closer to its customers.

When asked about how BMW creates a single view of the customer when they’re researching online but visiting showrooms to complete sales, Treiber-Ruckenbrod says that more sales are heading in the direction of online, and not just to dealerships. The nature of selling cars has changed a lot, she added: in the past visiting a dealership was about getting the best price, but luxury doesn’t work when the price has to be negotiated and now the brand’s associates focus on experiences, test-drives and the features of the car.

By taking this approach, she says: “We learned in the last two years that [offering negotiable prices] is not necessary and you can earn a lot more money selling less cars. We reduced the number of clicks and the number of packages to reduce the complexity, but on the other side you can offer some films, you can offer some experiences. You need events, you need to touch the car, it’s a whole ecosystem. It’s the lifestyle of the brand.” BMW has also invested in apps for each brand, which deliver content, invitations to events and services, such as car servicing appointments. The most recent addition has been a community feature that facilitates relationships between loyal customers who share feedback and photos of their own experiences with their cars. This community has become a fundamental part of the brand experience for many customers. “It’s an experience you cannot really buy. It’s special. It’s about the people you can meet. I think when it comes to luxury, you have to do this, and my aim for the future is to go more in this direction.”

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