BMW Canada
When BMW snuggled up to Mercedes-Benz

Case History
At the beginning of their association with us, BMW was little-known outside the ranks of motoring enthusiasts. Our first advertisement placed a BMW alongside a Mercedes-Benz, grill beside grill, kidney vs. star. The headline: "Before you buy one, drive the other." Positioning in a nutshell! The copy told a straightforward story of the two cars' relative strengths, likenesses and differences. (At the time, we said within the agency that, essentially, a BMW was "a Mercedes with guts".)

Thirteen years later we still had the business and BMW Canada led the world in the image enjoyed by the marque (BMW had surpassed Mercedes in sales here several years earlier). South of the border, the Benz still reigned - both in image and sales. Market differences at the time? None but the advertising.