Some good response to my post on the new bmw.mobi site. Quite a few questions around what the value of having site designed for mobile might be.

To be honest I was quite surprised at the “what’s the point?” type comments especially with the ever increasing “smartness” of the mobile handsets entering our market. This coupled with the fact that the sheer volume of mobile users in South Africa outweighs those that use the web several time over - this is really more of an educated guess. (Arthur Goldstuck’s presentation at the online web summit, showed figures of just 3 Million South Africans accessing the web in 2007.)

BMW.mobi/za is currently targeted at a few groups of people - the fanatics, the prospects, and the aspirers.

The aspirers: Of this group the aspirers will probably make up the biggest portion of site accesses. From my personal experience during Auto Africa, it was quite clear that this group, although often an unlikely short term prospect, is a group that elevates the perception of the brand as a company that makes cars that not everyone can have.

The prospects: it’s a pretty well known fact that web plays a huge role in a prospect’s buying decision. Research, comparison, more research, and more comparison. BMW.mobi is just another touch point for this group. If you’re able to check the stats and info on a 335i Coupe (my new favourite btw) after just seeing a mobi url in an ad in a magazine that you were reading while tanning by the pool, surely this will have some kind of positive effect on both your impression of the car and the BMW brand? (Especially after you’ve downloaded the 3 Series Coupe wallpapers for your phone.) And the competition? Well, for now at least, they don’t get to make any impression because they have no site designed for a phone.

The fanatic: The fanatic is a vital ingredient in any brand’s success. They’re the ones that spread the word, the ones that influence peers. They’re the crusaders. Arming them with a tool that they can load up while standing around the braai talking cars is a complete no-brainer.

Quick responses to specific comments:
Comment #3: Salami - You can’t buy a BMW on bmw.co.za either. The research resource is where more of the value is derived.
#5: hd - Thanks for the input, I’ll check it out. We’re going to be putting this sort of feedback into the “ideas and enhancements vault”.
#6: Paul - The site is perhaps a bit more targeted to those who don’t yet own a BMW or are looking for info to assist in making a purchase. A mobile version of the BMW Owner’s Circle area would be a great value add to existing customers and there are definitely plans to do this somewhere down the line.
#7: Andy - I think my points above should be justification enough for the expenditure (which cost a fraction of a full page advert in the Sunday Times). Being a company that makes heavy use of mobile in your own solutions, I’m quite surprised by your question. You will however need to upgrade to a phone with a colour screen to enjoy the site to its fullest potential though
#9: Matthew - this figure was provided to me by our HQ in Munich. Before we had a SA version and even before I knew there was a BMW.mobi site. Go figure!

I think Andre’s comment added a good point:

“I think you underestimate how many of the target market just don’t get to spend that much time behind PCs and desks anymore.”

At the end of the day, this is very much a start. A platform from where we can move into more exciting mobile areas. Delivering leads to dealers, etc etc.

Hopefully your input into the project will only add to its value!