BMW wants more riders to Xplor

Hoping to capitalize on the popularity of adventure travel while offering consumers a place to indulge in motorcycling, BMW of North America, LLC, Woodcliff Lake, N.J., is implementing a new program, called Xplor.
BMW Motorcycles’ past four years of advertising focused on real BMW motorcycle owners and showed real consumers, not models or actors. The company says the backbone of the Xplor program consists of its new mantra, “World Adventure,” and focuses on exploration.
“BMW is going from a machine-centric attitude to a ride-centric attitude, and nobody else is really doing this,” Laurance Kuykendall, brand and event marketing manager, told Powersports Business. “We’re not abandoning our gritty and authentic tonality, but we wanted to point out that there is a whole world of adventure out there to explore with our bikes.”
BMW is advertising its new direction through print ads, sweepstakes and its Web site. The Web site, www.bmwridetheworld.com, developed by Merkley Newman Harty Interactive, will correspond with the print ads, and currently features many things a rider may want to know about preparing for and taking a tour of Central and South America, including packing lists, organized tours, shipping companies, passport information, and even tips about border crossings.
Kuykendall says the site will continue to expand with subsequent installments corresponding to each print ad. Next up? Africa.
“Eventually, the Web site will have all parts of the world and it will be very, very detailed – articles, photos, and message boards populated by people who ride these areas,” he said.
But Xplor is not necessarily only for globetrotting riders, it also will focus on U.S. locales, highlighting off-road trails, highway rides and track days. While details have not been finalized, Kuykendall says to expect a half dozen events around the country “where people get a chance to explore while honing their skill levels, meeting other riders and having a good time.”
BMW of North America has been present in the U.S. since 1975. The company serves 148 motorcycle retailers.