{"id":869,"date":"2014-09-29T06:34:07","date_gmt":"2014-09-29T06:34:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/localhost:10151\/uncategorized\/trudy-hardy-drives-bmw-to-olympics-glory\/"},"modified":"2018-01-18T16:12:06","modified_gmt":"2018-01-18T16:12:06","slug":"trudy-hardy-drives-bmw-to-olympics-glory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jp.umww.com\/en\/um-in-the-news\/trudy-hardy-drives-bmw-to-olympics-glory\/","title":{"rendered":"Trudy Hardy Drives BMW to Olympics Glory"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0David Gianatasio<\/a><\/p>\n

The U.S. bobsled team took home one silver and three bronze medals at the\u00a0Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.<\/a>\u00a0And BMW scored marketing gold.<\/p>\n

Lots of brands ink sponsorship deals around the games, of course. But BMW didn\u2019t just slap its name on the U.S. team\u2019s sleds; it designed them. During commercial breaks, viewers were treated to stylish spots introducing the luxury automaker\u2019s i-series of electric vehicles that sport the same carbon fibers as the bobsleds. Meanwhile, as the competitors raced down the track at speeds approaching 90 miles per hour, NBC commentators dubbed the sleds \u201cThe Ultimate Sliding Machines,\u201d making for what USA Today called a \u201cpublicity coup\u201d for the brand.<\/p>\n

For BMW vp, marketing Trudy Hardy, the games were a personal and professional triumph. She had championed the\u00a0bobsled initiative\u00a0<\/a>during her three years leading BMW of North America\u2019s marketing communications and events operations. Hardy was on hand in Sochi to witness the results, just five months after her promotion to her current job.<\/p>\n

Hardy admits to being nervous about the whole thing\u2014a lot was riding on those sleds, to be sure. The Olympics would serve as the launch event for the brand\u2019s entry into the fledgling realm of electric vehicles. Then, there was the inherent uncertainty of the races. \u201cMaybe they don\u2019t win, maybe the sled crashes\u2014all these types of things,\u201d Hardy says. But while there were risks, she adds, there was also an appreciation for \u201cthe potential of all the great things that can come out of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Hardy is used to risks. A 13-year veteran of BMW, she has built a reputation as a straight shooter who tends to go with her gut, and understands the road to success has its share of curves. \u201cIt took bravery from Trudy and BMW to tell the bobsled story,\u201d says Scott Donaton, chief content officer at Universal McCann, which chronicled the design and testing process for the sleds in Driving on Ice, a documentary that aired on NBC prior to the games and publicized the team\u2019s tough work preparing for the games. \u201cThis was an amazing story about the journey, not just about the outcome,\u201d says Donaton.<\/p>\n

Likewise, the :60 ad from KBS+ that broke during the opening ceremony and introduced the i-series\u2014BMW\u2019s first all-electric\/hybrid, emission-free vehicles\u2014was no ordinary auto spot. Dubbed\u00a0\u201cHello Future,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0its blue-hued nightscapes and crystal-cool auto imagery were made even more memorable by the voiceover\u2014a 50-year-old recording of science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke describing how amazing the future will be. \u201cWe just knew as soon as we found that clip of Arthur C. Clarke\u201d that it would work, says Hardy. \u201cIt was something that gave us goosebumps\u2014and it still does, every time I watch that spot.\u201d George Peterson, president of the AutoPacific consultancy, lauds \u201cHello Future\u201d and the i-series work that followed as \u201ccompelling\u201d and \u201calluring\u201d communications.<\/p>\n

The approach is paying off. In May, the i3 set a domestic record for plug-in sales during a debut month, with 336. Domestic sales overall so far this year are up by double digits\u2014an improvement even over last year\u2019s record sales for the import.<\/p>\n

Will the brand establish a sales peak for the second year running? Hardy puts her faith in Clarke\u2019s powers of prognostication, commenting, \u201cThe only thing that we can be sure of about the future is that it will be absolutely fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The U.S. bobsled team took home one silver and three bronze medals at the\u00a0Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia.\u00a0And BMW scored marketing gold.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-869","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-um-in-the-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTrudy Hardy Drives BMW to Olympics Glory - UM JAPAN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/jp.umww.com\/en\/um-in-the-news\/trudy-hardy-drives-bmw-to-olympics-glory\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trudy Hardy Drives BMW to Olympics Glory - 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