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Smart marketing. It wouldn't work in the States whatsoever but there's enough people in China's market willing to shell out the extra for a special edition that its a smart move on BMW's part. Why would anyone want this? Let me explain:
Chinese culture in general upholds things & ideas that reference fortune and allude to cultural ideas. Even little things like phone numbers or custom license plates become a big deal (desire for the number 8) and people pay huge sums for these things. It is important to understand what the culture desires and understand symbolism and allusions to successfully market a product in a different market. It seems BMW understands the China market quite well.
BMW's Chinese name, Bao Ma/寶馬, "precious horse", doesn't sound like much when translated into English but the name alone carries much positive cultural connotation.
Before the days of automobiles, the horse was the primary form of transport so alluding a BMW to a horse gives it a special meaning; the relationship between the horse and rider was important in those times and now BMW marketing implies a similar relationship between the "precious horse" and the driver...clever if you ask me. The horse has been historically and culturally a favorite animal for Chinese. There's a year named after it every 12 years, much of the Chinese lexicon contains idioms referencing horses' agility & energy, and traditionally, was a symbol of the noble classes as only the rich & royal had horses for transportation, etc. Even in daily vocabulary, words often reference the horse (i.e., Roadway = Horse Road, Immediately = "on a horse"). Now in the year of the horse, this special edition not only combines the significance of the new year, but also to its own name as a "precious horse". Good move.
Sorry for the long post, but understanding different cultures helps to understand different marketing strategies. Yes, Americans wouldn't give two F's about these editions and yes, it is quite superficial and unnecessary to have these special editions, but given the cultural factors and current economic environment in China, this is a smart move on BMW's part.
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