It began as an incognito photobombing mobile stunt to create a Baader-Meinhof effect, where people started seeing BMWs in every charging station listing. While it turned into a widely talked about digital hack that created awareness, the clincher was how it translated to a direct response with test drives going up by 400% and 2 out of 5 customers could be traced back to the virtual showrooms.

Despite being a global leader in the adoption of electrification in recent years, the UAE’s public charging infrastructure is struggling to keep up with the rising number of electric vehicles – with only about 300 stations scattered across Dubai for almost all electric cars to share. Moreover, the long driving distances make it essential for EV owners to charge their vehicles at least twice a week on average. This is a source of anxiety for potential customers wanting to make the switch, with proximity to public charging stations being a crucial factor.

And as the last ones to enter the EV market, BMW had an important point to prove.

In the UAE, an emerging EV market, public charging stations are the primary source of energy. This makes proximity to them a key consideration for potential customers to make the switch – to a point where the first thing they do is look for charging stations near them, even before they visit the dealership.

Being the last ones to enter a highly competitive EV market, we wanted to capture people’s attention in a way that disrupts category norms. Most of all, we wanted our EV launch campaign to align with our sustainability commitment – that of utilizing resources in the most efficient way without compromising impact.

While other brands spent millions on marketing EVs, we wanted to be like our EVs - innovative, efficient and zero waste. To minimize spillover, we directed our campaign to existing and potential EV owners – that's 70% of UAE residents.

Recognizing that proximity to public charging stations was a key consideration, we took our EVs where the purchase decision was really made. Presenting BMW iJACK – turning Google Maps into the largest network of virtual showrooms by seeding BMW electric cars in the pictures listed by visitors.

In a guerrilla effort to launch our electric range, we took our beamers and photobombed all of Dubai’s 300 EV charging stations in broad daylight. So each time anyone looked for charging stations near them, our EVs showed up – making BMW top of mind. By integrating QR codes into the photos, we transformed the automotive purchase process into a completely digital experience.

We wanted to direct our campaign to existing and potential EV owners – a category that comprises nearly 70% of UAE residents. And with minimum spillover.

While our competitors were investing millions in advertising their electric cars, we identified new advertising media in the form of Google Maps listings that were completely free and open to everyone. All it took was a few BMW EVs, a list of public charging stations in Dubai and a smartphone, to make our cars the headliners across the city – capturing the attention of millions.

Armed with just a smartphone over a period of one year, we covertly photobombed every single public charging station in Dubai with our BMW EVs. Instead of the usual pictures of the charging equipment, BMW electric vehicles became the stars of the show, strategically positioned at these locations. We featured the car from every angle, including 360 views of the interiors, capturing every detail for viewers to see – without even visiting the showroom. We also intercepted every search with smart QR codes that directly allowed people to book test drives.

Within a year, we had uploaded photos and videos of our EVs on every single one of the 300 charging station listings on Google Maps – creating hundreds of virtual showrooms all over Dubai.

We tried to keep it low-key, but then people took notice – including the region’s leading motoring channel, ArabGT. The iJack garnered over 2 million views organically on Google Maps, significantly driving consideration for BMW EVs. It also boosted test drives by 400% - with 2 out of 5 bookings from our virtual showrooms.

While our competitors spent millions on marketing their electric cars, we stayed true to our commitment of utilizing resources effectively – and spent zero dollars to get earned media worth 2.2 million dollars. From stealth to sophistication, BMW iJACK has come a long way in setting a new benchmark for how automotive brands spend their money.

While other brands were (ironically) spending millions on marketing electric cars, we wanted our campaign to be just like our EVs - innovative, efficient and zero waste. To minimize spillover, we went where EV patrons already were - public charging stations in Dubai. We created 300 virtual showrooms where they could digitally view the cars, book test drives as well as purchase directly.

All this with zero dollars, 3 fully-charged BMW EVs and a smartphone.