Harvard Case: Launch of the BMW Z3 RoadsterJames McDowell, Vice President Marketing of BMW North America, Inc. must design the Phase II communication strategies for the launch of the new BMW Z3 roadsters. The program follows an "outside the box" pre-launch campaign centered on the product placement in the November 1996 James Bond film, Golden Eye, and including other "non-traditional" elements such as the product's appearance on The Tonight Show Jay Leno, the offering of a James Bond Edition Roadster in the Neiman Marcus holiday catalog, and large-scale public relations activities. McDowell must evaluate the effectiveness of pre-launch activities and design marketing tactics that can sustain product excitement until product availability in March. The Z3 case provides an inspiring insight into how creative ideas can influence a new product launch. It illustrates the role of cross-promotions and film product placement within the marketing mix, as well as their role in developing a new brand and a brand's "personality." It also shows how communication strategies and tactics have evolved beyond traditional television advertising. Objectives of the case:1. Consider the power of marketing execution (e.g., product positioning) versus traditional media planning strategy. How does this new marketing approach affect changes in brand image?2. Encourage a perspective on the role of cross-promotions and film product positioning both within the marketing mix and as elements of new product launch activities3. Structure thinking around a “new marketing paradigm” that does not rely on advertising, television networks and associated parameters as central organizational elements. That is, to develop a framework whereby “no… middle of the paper… Here, 1 and, we2 interviewed relevant senior executives about their decision on marketing the Z3. We asked and3 examined the marketing relevant BMW plans We needed to understand the “4 Cs”: the competencies and objectives of their4 company, the customers they were trying to attract, the competitors they5 would face and the channels they would use to bring the product to the market framework rather standard6 that I and many others use regularly in analyzing marketing situations. We supplemented7 the data we obtained from BMW with library and online research. We then developed a case outline that showed us where we needed additional data to complete the study On the other hand, we went back to BMW and asked for and received 10 more pieces of information. We then completed our draft and sent it to BMW for approval.