BMW uses interactive touchpoints to market its premium cars at a variety of trade fairs. We enabled all BMW and MINI departments to prepare consolidated product information for specific markets and events. Our system allows the global pool of devices to be put into service. Silent updates to technical data can be made while the devices are being used.
Integral infoterminal system
Reduced costs by maximum flexibility for events
Understanding the requirements
Presenting interactive product info-terminals for trade fairs and sales events comes with multiple internal and external layers of organizational challenges.
As a consistent service contractor for BMW and MINI for almost ten years, we have a clear understanding of what a digital and integrated management workflow for content, apps, and devices should archive.
On the content side, large data sets have to be individualized for each event by multiple local BMW and MINI departments. While each product brings a bunch of consumer configurations, such as level of motorization, standard and optional equipment, market-specific information, such as environmental requirements, or financing models, must also be aligned for each event.
On the hardware side, a large corporate-owned stock of devices is permanently circulating around the world. Without knowing about individual communication purposes on-site, devices need to be installed by various booth building companies at events. Once mounted into the info-terminals, the iPad Pro devices should completely be manageable centrally by remote without any reconstructions.
A team of product specialists can advise customers during the events on their product choice, explaining all information in detail. Wrongly reported data is immediately updated across all affected info-terminals.
Moreover, event schedules sometimes require special data to only be unlocked for VIP shows or at the moment a product is premiered.
Our Digital Management workflow
We performed all services required to design, plan and implement the new workflow to digitally manage the product marketing with info-terminals.
Our solution is driven by a bespoke software system, complete with our continuous editorial optimization and data configuration services. The software system underpins the workflow with its four core elements:
- Our bespoke content management system integrates into specific clients’ departments and is capable of straightforwardly and accessibly handling complex data.
- Our managed distribution system allows for a flexible utilization of devices to meet the individual needs of specific events. Content, and business logic is remotely deployed in real-time, even with silent-updates.
- Our mobile device management allows for device management in the context of bulk buying.
- Our enterprise app distribution systems enable single devices of the pool to be utilized for advanced purpose that go beyond standard scenarios of product marketing.
Transforming Benefits
Our digital workflow, with its multi-version, multi-client and multi-language capabilities, is best applied to scenarios of economies of scale; such a workflow is a necessity for businesses with extensive communication scenarios and intensive product diversification across markets.
The integrated digitization and intuitive handling of apps, data, and devices empowers internal BMW and MINI departments to more efficiently and collaboratively perform; content is delivered in precise corporate quality and events are produced on time. This additional flexibility increases the value of the corporate-owned device pool.
The costs of external suppliers were also reduced due to the live management approach of the centralized cloud architecture. Content can now be managed by the relevant internal parties, while updates for apps and content no longer require manual installation by on-site service technicians.
The capability to schedule silent-updates also facilitates event sequences, as product information can be totally or partially updated.
Intuitive & powerful CMS
Multi-client and multi-version capability connects global departements
Our bespoke CMS is capable of handling multi-clients to in order to cope with complex marketing hierarchies and enterprise structures.
MINI and BMW, with its various sub-brands for electric or sports vehicles, can operate on a unified system instance.
Our bespoke CMS is capable of handling multi-clients to in order to cope with complex marketing hierarchies and enterprise structures.
MINI and BMW, with its various sub-brands for electric or sports vehicles, can operate on a unified system instance.
Our multi-version and multi-language functionalities are concentrated on opening up new global markets without any additional costs.
Centrally stored master data is inherited for market-specific instances which can be updated, approved, and released by worldwide departments as per their local requirements.
Our multi-version and multi-language functionalities are concentrated on opening up new global markets without any additional costs.
Centrally stored master data is inherited for market-specific instances which can be updated, approved, and released by worldwide departments as per their local requirements.
Our intuitive user interface and powerful database is designed to handle the huge amounts of relational data sets required to represent the diverse product ranges of vehicles, motorcycles, and power engines.
This makes it a perfect tool to manage product information sheets composed from a pool of product configurations.
Our intuitive user interface and powerful database is designed to handle the huge amounts of relational data sets required to represent the diverse product ranges of vehicles, motorcycles, and power engines.
This makes it a perfect tool to manage product information sheets composed from a pool of product configurations.
Each product can accommodate various bespoke presentation types, such as charts, tables, images, videos, and slides with text.
Each product can accommodate various bespoke presentation types, such as charts, tables, images, videos, and slides with text.
A collapsed or full-screen view allows for bulk editing across multiple data sets and languages in parallel.
Managed Distribution System
Centralized real-time updates for business logic and content
We provide management services for each BMW and MINI event taking place worldwide to remotely and cost-effectively setup and configure all involved info-terminals.
Our management service addresses two main points:
-
The roll out of business-logic for the Infoterminal App is part of the managed trade show setup. Visitor accessibility of all interactive elements, such as videos, data sheets, or presentation slides, can be individually configured for each station.
-
Content for each product, and all its available features, is also distributed by our central management system.
There is no need for staging services or IT technicians to physically access each device to complete setup.
Thanks to our centralized management interface our service technicians can manage and monitor all devices in use.
This supervising authority allows for changes to the content and business-logic of all info-terminals via bulk-editing. Especially time-sensitive events benefit from this capability of telemetry messaging.
If requested, a graphical user interface could also be provided to enable editors to manage the information displayed by the devices themselves.
Mobile device management
Centrally install apps and configure your corporate-owned ressource pool
An iPad Pro is used as touch-display and operating platform for the BMW info-terminals. The initial setup of the iPads is made easy, due to our membership in Apple’s Device Enrollment Program
When making bulk purchases, BMW’s central buying adds the iPads to their corporate-owned device pool, where we can then remotely configure them on the operating system level.
The initial deployment of the “empty shell” of our info-terminal app is made via the workflow provided by Apple, by running our own in-house server for mobile device management.
However, subsequent updates for business-logic and content via our bespoke Managed Distribution System, run independently in order to guarantee a consistent cross-platform workflow beyond the Apple ecosystem. This independence from manufacturers boosts flexibility and the available feature sets.
Enterprise App Distribution System
Create and manage manual download tokens for corporate delegates
Our App Distribution System is a bespoke enterprise solution.
BMW employees use our portal to manually roll out apps on individual devices for specific purposes. After creating limited-time access tokens, a download link to an “official” BMW app is sent via email.
Our enterprise App Distribution System is perfectly suited for VIP sales events or intimate presentations and guarantees that only authorized individuals have access to apps and their content.
In contrast to public app stores, our independent infrastructure allows for fast app updates as their functionalities are not subject to lengthy audits by the store operator.
Curious about our approach? Feel free to get in touch!
Mathias Wollin Partner +49 69 24 000 326 mathias.wollin@meso.design mathias.wollin@meso.design +49 69 24 000 326
MESO Digital Services GmbH
Gutleutstr. 96 . 60329 Frankfurt . Germany
Team
Alessia Corsini, Olga Grischtschenko, Jonas Schreiber