BMW Advertising

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Brand Guidelines

2017

Brand Summary

Mission

To deliver premium vehicles and services that embody performance, innovation, and luxury, positioning BMW as ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine.’

Core Values

performance
innovation
luxury
precision
sustainability (for BMW i)

Target Audience

Affluent, discerning customers seeking high-performance, luxury vehicles and innovative mobility solutions.

Personality Traits

sophisticated
dynamic
innovative
adventurous
premium

Visual Identity Overview

BMW’s visual identity is defined by a minimalistic, modern style with a focus on clean layouts, bold use of white space, precise typography, and a consistent color palette dominated by black, white, gray, and blue. The BMW Roundel logo and the tagline ‘The Ultimate Driving Machine’ are central, with strict rules for logo usage, image composition, and layout to ensure a premium, cohesive brand presence across all media.

Categories

Brand Voice

• Think ― engagement and interest first, rather than ― offers, offers, offers.
• Engaging positively on their dealer page to create a sense of community with customers.
• Promote local events: Local charity ties, sponsorships, civic ties, employee accolades, etc.
• Promote local offers: Sales, arrival of models onto your lot, incentives.
• Give users seasonal tips: ― Winterize now! ― Maintenance suggestions for summer road trips, etc.
• Take photos of new owners and post them to your channels, providing you have their permission.
• Encourage owners to post photos of their new car on their page and tag the BMW dealership.
• Encourage customers to follow your channels and tag themselves in the photos on Facebook.
• Ask open-ended questions to stimulate comments/conversation.
• Let BMW USA know about major local happenings for consideration on a national level or for targeted regional messaging.
• Explicitly identify yourself as an employee or affiliate of BMW on public pages (such as in comments on Facebook)
• Post anything that is damaging to the reputation of the brand on social media
• Post anything unless you have noted publicly on your profile that your views and content are your own and not that of BMW
• Comment on BMW content if it can be inferred from your profile that you work for or are affiliated with BMW
• Post commentary, content or images that are defamatory, pornographic, proprietary, harassing, libelous, or that can create a hostile work environment
• Promote or advertise local/dealer news and happenings on the national BMW USA channels page on your own.
• Interact with other users on BMW USA content as an employee or affiliate of BMW, or at all if it can be inferred from your profile that you are an employee or affiliate of BMW
• Reveal national event/promotional information before it has been announced by BMW USA; please refer to Marketing Central.

Brand Imagery

Crops of images that hide large sections of the vehicle or obscure the area of the vehicle the user is viewing do not meet image standards.
Copy placed over a vehicle within an image does not meet image standards.
All copy on images is required to be legible.
Vehicles cropped through the Roundel or the kidney grille do not meet image standards.
It is also acceptable to include one Roundel on a visual overlay featuring an actual vehicle in inventory. The visual overlay is required to follow BMW global fonts and color palette.
There must not be any images, logos and/or text of non-BMW vehicles, including MINI. The only exception is the Used Vehicle search and Compare Vehicle section which may show non-BMW vehicles. Clarification: Vehicles featured on the website must reside on the BMW Center lot. The only exception is that BMW dealers with multiple locations (either satellites or separate points) can advertise pre-owned BMWs in inventory at ANY of their BMW locations. BMW brand vehicles in inventory at “other brand” affiliated stores are not eligible for this enhancement. BMW vehicles advertised that are not “on location” must be identified with their actual location.
The European model disclaimer is recommended for images depicting a European model.
Never crop out the Roundel or the kidney grille.
The car is the hero and the biggest element in the layout.
When possible use American models.
Add DOT Safety light as indicated.
If cars cannot be Americanized, include a clear disclaimer.
Other vehicle makes can only be used in vehicle comparisons. It is best to always feature angles where the kidney grille and Roundel are visible. Competitive vehicles must always be of equal size or smaller than the BMW car model.
Only one Roundel can be used on a page. An exception can be made if the Roundel also appears on merchandise or if it exists in a vehicle image or on a building.
Full Bleed Image.
All copy is flushed to one side, opposite the module.
CTA Button flushed to same side as the copy.
Legal copy placed opposite the module.
Dealer URL is always placed in the bottom right corner.
Marquee art needs to be 1900px wide. If the image is not wide enough, it needs to be retouched to make it look like it naturally extends to the correct width.
Avoid cropping out any part of the Kidney Grille or Roundel on the image.
Use BMW photos as a guide for the type and quality of imagery that will look the best.
When not using the specific image from the lot, use images that relate directly to the content of the module. Avoid generic vehicle shots.
Try to limit the amount of vehicles in a space. Three or less is optimal.
When creating imagery for BMW Center specials, use BMW photos as a guide for the type and quality of imagery that will look the best.
When this is a national promotion use the national image.
Images should be designed to work with the safety area.
No relevant art is outside of the safety area.
Avoid stretching art. See retouching page for extending images and retouching.
Avoid crowding edges. Keep in mind there are other modules that are adjacent that should be accounted for in layout.

Color Palette

COLOR PALETTE Black 000000 100% Black Dark Gray 221F1F 85% Black Mid Gray 666766 Light Gray B5B5B5 White Blue FFFFFF 1C69D4 10% Black 100% Cyan PMS 299 Blue Gradient 1F72E4 -1A62C5 Gray Gradient 666766 -979799 Red FF0000 -usage limited to error messages
The BMW Color Palette is made up of these colors and shades. Black and shades of gray dominate, with blue reserved for primary icons, roll-overs, actionable content, and highlighted states. Additional colors will be labeled throughout. All dealer websites must only use this color palette and the guidelines associated with it.
Black 000000 Usage: Headlines Subheadlines
White FFFFFF Usage: Backgrounds Copy Tabs
Dark Gray 221F1F Usage: Copy
Blue 1C69D4 Usage: Infographics, icons, marquee scrolling dots (on state)
Mid Gray 666766 Usage: Body copy Headlines on Extra Light Gray
Blue Gradient 1F72E4 -1A62C5 Usage: Primary CTA
Light Gray B5B5B5 Usage: Strokes Hyperlink text
Gray Gradient 666766 -979799 Usage: Secondary CTA
Light Gray Gradient FFFFFF -ededee Usage: WEB ONLY Backgrounds for data/info Mobile CTA
Extra Light Gray e6e7e8 Usage: WEB ONLY Large Headline Areas
Red ff0000 Usage: Error Message Only
All pop-up messages are required to comply with the BMW color palettes.
It is required to comply with BMW color palettes.
Chat module must appear on the right hand side of the page, on the middle to lower half. If a live chat does exist, it is required to comply with BMW color palettes.
Footers are to comply with BMW global fonts and color palettes. Font size may not exceed 12 pt.

Typography

All advertising must use the BMW font. Dealers must use black or gray font on a white background. M Brandcan use whitetext on blackbackgrounds. Headlines or subheads may appear on BMW photography, white text on a dark colored image and black text on a light colored image. Headlines and subheads must be capitalized.
Non-BMW font exceptions will be made if a dealer’s logo contains a non-BMW font. Dealer taglines are required to be in BMW font.
All advertising must use the BMW font. Dealers must use black or gray font on a white background. M Brand can use white text on black backgrounds.
Headlines or subheads may appear on BMW photography, white text on a dark colored image and black text on a light colored image. Headlines and subheads must be capitalized.
To meet typography standards, greater than 75% of the eNewsletter is required to comply with BMW’s globalfonts.
The approved BMW font families are Helvetica, Arial and Sans Serif. The font size may range from 8 pt to 44 pt.
BMW GLOBAL PRO BOLD HEADLINE
Headlines are written in BMW Type Global Pro Bold. Settings for justification have to be customized.
Headlines should be written in all caps and appear in 85% black on a light background or 100% white on dark backgrounds.
Font size varies with different contenttypes.
The tracking for headlines and subheadlines is -30 to -45, the setting for kerning is “Optical.”
Subheadlines are written in BMW Type Global Pro Bold. Settings for justification have to be customized.
The tracking for headlines and subheadlines is -45, the setting for kerning is“Optical.”
Some BMW terms that are normally connected in body copy may be separated in all capsfor ease of reading.
Freely arranged typography is not permitted.
The headline may not extend over more than threelines.
Body copy is not permitted in the visualarea.
The headline may notbe placed on the product.
The legal disclaimer should not be placed in the upper visual area.
The protection space must be observed around the IdentityModules.
Size:Headline no bigger than the symbol module, no smaller than the additional module. Headline at least twice the sizeof the subheadline. Between these, the sizeis variable and freelyscalable. Balancemust be observedwiththe other visualelements.
To meet typography standards, greater than 75% of the homepage is required to comply with BMW’s global fonts.
The approved BMW font families are Helvetica, Arial and Sans Serif
The font size may range from 8 pt to 44pt
All BMW Center websites must follow the copy guidelines below to be compliant, including capitalization rules and point size, leading and kerning rules.
BMW Type Global Bold/Helvetica/Arial/Sans Serif BMW Type Global Bold/Helvetica/Arial/Sans Serif
BMW Type Global Regular/Helvetica/Arial/Sans Serif
BMW Type Global Light/Arial Light/Sans Serif Light
BMW i CORPORATE IDENTITY: Headlines appear in uppercase BMW Type Global Pro Light, giving the layout a sense of lightness.
Headline size is derived from the size of the Identity Modules.
Headline at least twice as large as the subheadline. Between these sizes, the size of the headline is variable and can be freely scaledto fit. Please ensure that there is a balanced relationship to the other elements in the image.
Headline: Typeface: BMW Type Global Pro Light Line spacing headlines: Corresponds to 100 % of the type size Character spacing (capital letters): 15 The kerning setting is to be adjusted to optical (in InDesign).
Subheadline: Typeface: BMW Type Global Pro Light Line spacing: 110 % of the type size Character spacing (capital letters): 15 The kerning setting is to be adjusted to optical (in InDesign).
Body copy: Typeface: BMW Type Global Pro Regular, body copy in mixed case text Line spacing: 130 % of the type size (guideline amount), rounded up to the next whole number. Character spacing: 0
Only the typefaces BMW Type Global Pro Light and Regular are used for all product and dealer advertisements.
Headline has a maximum of three lines, subheadline has oneline.
The text block always consists of a headline, the BMW i symbol and an optional subheadline. The positioning of the text block can be varied vertically, though the preferred position is the top left corner. The unit can be aligned to the left or the right, though the BMW i symbol is always positioned to the left ofthe subheadline.
Legal disclaimer must appear at the bottom edge of the visual as far as possible.
The BMW i symbol is 4 x in height and has a distance of 2 x to the headline and 1 x to the subheadline.
Balanced relationship between the text block and the other image elements is mandatory.
Minimum distances to the edges of the format are to be adhered to.
The product / offer name has to be communicated in either the headline or the subheadline.
A creatively formulated message is preferred here.
Descriptive communication of the respective product or offer name or use of the communication claim “BORN ELECTRIC.”.
Identity Modules used with correct spacing. BMW fontused. Headline capitalized. 85% black or 100% white font. All copy is flushed to one side, opposite the module. Legal copy placed opposite the module. Legal can be one or several lines as required.

Logo Usage

The BMW Roundel must be used in the three-dimensional format with “The Ultimate Driving Machine®” tagline as used in the corporate identity standards.
No other franchise or make is allowed in any eligible advertising, including website addresses.
The BMW Roundel and all other registered BMW trademarks are protected worldwide and may be used only by BMW AG, BMW NA, BMW FS, BMW Motorrad, other BMW Group companies, and BMW Centers. Authorized BMW Centers can use the BMW Roundel only pursuant to the licenses in applicable dealer agreements and only in connection with authorized vehicle lines.
BMW trademarks must always be used in a manner that is consistent with BMW NA’s trademark guidelines. (Rule of thumb: Never find yourself recreating the roundel outside of advertising. i.e. welcome mats, staff shirts, etc.)
The BMW trademarks include, but are not limited to, the following: • Figurative marks (L=logos). For example: The BMW Roundel logo, M logo, i logo, and Certified Pre-Owned logo.
The following infractions will not receive warning letters and will be denied: • The flat-one dimensional Roundel
Never use multiple logos (or sets of Identity Modules) on the same page.
Do not use the Roundel as a design element.
Use grey module boxes on a white background.
Use white module boxes on photography or black backgrounds.
Rule of thumb: Never find yourself recreating the roundel outside of advertising. i.e. welcome mats, staff shirts, etc.
Only one Roundel can be used on a page. An exception can be made if the Roundel also appears on merchandise or if it exists in a vehicle image or on a building.
Never crop out the Roundel or the kidney grille.
Avoid cropping out any part of the Kidney Grille or Roundel on the image.
It may not cover the Roundel.
Pop-ups may not cover the Roundel, unless they are a lead-generating form.

Tone And Messaging

Using distressful messaging
Ads that contain Advertising Guidelines violations are never eligible for reimbursement. See the section of this document for more details. This includes the use of: • The flat-one dimensional Roundel • Advertising with other manufacturers • Using distressful messaging
Distressed messaging also includes use of third-party lead sources that utilize heavily-discounted/below-invoice messaging.
As consumers have access to invoice pricing on new vehicles, advertisements or messaging that contain prices that are markedly below dealer invoice on such new vehicles hurts our brand image and also constitutes distressed messaging.
If a dealer was to engage in distressed messaging as defined in this communication, the procedure for notification of noncompliance that is set forth in the Advertising Guidelines will be utilized with the third and subsequent notifications resulting in the dealer being ineligible for the Brand Standards portion of advertising bonus funds (currently 20%) for a three-month period.
Explicitly identify yourself as an employee or affiliate of BMW on public pages (such as in comments on Facebook)
Post anything that is damaging to the reputation of the brand on social media
Post anything unless you have noted publicly on your profile that your views and content are your own and not that of BMW
Comment on BMW content if it can be inferred from your profile that you work for or are affiliated with BMW
Post commentary, content or images that are defamatory, pornographic, proprietary, harassing, libelous, or that can create a hostile work environment
Promote or advertise local/dealer news and happenings on the national BMW USA channels page on your own.
Interact with other users on BMW USA content as an employee or affiliate of BMW, or at all if it can be inferred from your profile that you are an employee or affiliate of BMW
Reveal national event/promotional information before it has been announced by BMW USA; please refer to Marketing Central.

Visual Style

All advertising must use the BMW font. Dealers must use black or gray font on a white background. M Brandcan use whitetext on blackbackgrounds. Headlines or subheads may appear on BMW photography, white text on a dark colored image and black text on a light colored image. Headlines and subheads must be capitalized.
Non-BMW font exceptions will be made if a dealer’s logo contains a non-BMW font. Dealer taglines are required to be in BMW font.
The BMW Roundel must be used in the three-dimensional format with “The Ultimate Driving Machine®” tagline as used in the corporate identity standards.
No other franchise or make is allowed in any eligible advertising, including website addresses.
No ancillary graphics or images may be used – excluding a dealer logo, vehicle photography, map, or Ultimate Service®graphic.
A lease price, APR or MSRP may not be used in the headline. The only exception to this is on banner ads.
No other franchise or make is permitted, including website addresses.
If using a dealer’s URL in the ad, it is required to link only to a BMW exclusive dealer website that follows all BMW web standards (e.g., URL is dealer DBA name, no reference to other franchises, etc.).
All new vehicle print materials are required to use photography on Marketing Central.
BMW Centers / Facilities should never be used for OOH advertising. Showroom Windows and Exterior Facility walls shall remain clean and clear of Advertising unless approved and provided by BMWNA for such use.
Online banner ads are required to direct users to a dealer’s website URL listed on the bmwusa. com dealerlocator.
All new online banners are required to use photography on Marketing Central.
CTA buttons are required to be on your ad. (i.e. “View Inventory” or “Learn More,” etc).
Dealers are required to use BMW photography available on Marketing Central.
The BMW Color Palette is made up of these colors and shades. Black and shades of gray dominate, with blue reserved for primary icons, roll-overs, actionable content, and highlighted states. Additional colors will be labeled throughout. All dealer websites must only use this color palette and the guidelines associated with it.
Black 000000 100% Black; Dark Gray 221F1F 85% Black; Mid Gray 666766; Light Gray B5B5B5 10% Black; White FFFFFF; Blue 1C69D4 100% Cyan PMS 299; Blue Gradient 1F72E4 -1A62C5; Gray Gradient 666766 -979799; Red FF0000 - usage limited to error messages.
All BMW Center websites must follow the copy guidelines below to be compliant, including capitalization rules and point size, leading and kerning rules.
To meet typography standards, greater than 75% of the homepage is required to comply with BMW’s global fonts.
The approved BMW font families are Helvetica, Arial and Sans Serif. The font size may range from 8 pt to 44pt.
Social media icons may not exceed 40 x 40 pixels on BMW Center websites. If present, they are required to be in the body or footer of the page, never in the masthead.
Company logos, such as Google or any of the BMW-preferred website providers, may not exceed 120 x 120 pixels and may not be in the BMW masthead. If present, they are required to be in the body or footer of the page.
Personal dealer logos may not exceed 185 x 90 pixels.
Footers are to comply with BMW global fonts and color palettes. Font size may not exceed 12 pt.
The homepage template is a set of modules that can be rearranged or replaced with other modules. BMW Center websites must use the main navigation, marquee and footer modules on every page to remain compliant.
The BMW grid is currently a 14-column grid with 20px gutters for easy placement of content. The columns can be used in any combination to achieve best results, and make the transition to mobile seamless.
Modules snap to the edges of columns so they’re easy to use across site.
Marquee art needs to be 1900px wide. If the image is not wide enough, it needs to be retouched to make it look like it naturally extends to the correct width.
Short headline, sub-head and CTA are placed left and in clear, open space.
Limit pack shots tothree vehicles if possible.
Too many vehicles crowd the area and don’t fit inside the grid. These will also be too small when viewing on tablet and mobile.
Avoid cropping out any part of the Kidney Grille or Roundel on the image.
Always use blue buttons for primary action items.
Images should be designed to work with the safety area.
No relevant art is outside of the safety area.
Use extend to the full 1920px. images that
Avoid stretching art. See retouching page for extending images and retouching.
Avoid crowding edges. Keep in mind there are other modules that are adjacent that should be accounted for in layout.

Iconography

Icons are a visual language that combine brand with utility. These elements help drive the user effortlessly through a site with their ability to categorize content and communicate in one symbol the same clarity that many words would take. Think of them as you would type fonts — a consistent family of elements that allows viewers to read content online in a consistent style and voice, but in a graphic expression. These are the only icons dealer websites can use for visual language to be compliant.
Social media icons may not exceed 40 x 40 pixels on BMW Center websites.
If present, they are required to be in the body or footer of the page, never in the masthead.
Social media buttons as shown are acceptable.
Standard BMW icons
Print
Download
Contact
Email
Service
BMW socialicons
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
Tumblr
Google +
Pinterest

Layout And Composition

Never use multiple logos (or sets of Identity Modules) on the same page.
Do not use the Roundel as a design element.
Use grey module boxes on a white background.
Use white module boxes on photography or black backgrounds.
The minimum size of Identity Modules is 16mm.
For formats not listed here, it is necessary to calculate the optimal dimensions for the respective medium. The standard modules can be enlarged or reduced proportionally to produce the required size. Legibility and distance to the format corners must be taken into account here.
Identity module sizes for standard formats: A6 105 x 148 mm, Module width 16 mm = 0.63 inches; A6 long 105 x 210 mm, Module width 19.5 mm = 0.77 inches; A5 148 x 210 mm, Module width 22 mm = 0.87 inches; Square 210 x 210 mm, Module width 31.5 mm = 1.24 inches; A4 210 x 297 mm, Module width 31.5 mm = 1.24 inches; US letter 215.9 x 279.4 mm, Module width 31.5 mm = 1.24 inches; A3 297 x 420 mm, Module width 39 mm = 1.53 inches; A2 420 x 594 mm, Module width 55 mm = 2.16 inches; A1 594 x 840 mm, Module width 78 mm = 3.07 inches; A0 840 x 1,188 mm, Module width 126 mm = 4.96 inches.
Identity module sizes for newspaper formats: 1/1 page, large format approx. 370 x 520 mm, Module width 48.5 mm = 1.9 inches; 1/1 page, standard approx. 300 x 450 mm, Module width 41 mm = 1.61 inches; 1/1 page, small format approx. 220 x 320 mm, Module width 31.5 mm = 1.24 inches; 1 column Width 45-70 mm, Module width 8 mm = 0.31 inches; 1 or 2 columns Width 70-90 mm, Module width 10.5 mm = 0.41 inches; 2 columns Width 90-120 mm, Module width 15 mm = 0.6 inches; 1/1 page, magazine approx. 220 x 280 mm, Module width 31.5 mm = 1.24 inches; 2/1 page, magazine approx. 440 x 280 mm, Module width 39 mm = 1.53 inches.
The car is the hero and the biggest element in the layout.
Never crop out the Roundel or the kidney grille.
Headlines and subheadlines appear in the visual (“flagpole arrangement”).
Full-format style applies to all promotional print media and all online and mobile advertising.
The Identity Modules appear in the visual.
The white space is still used as a characteristic element of Brand Design in the context of price and dealer communication so as to be able to provide sufficient space for important information. The text elements are subject to a clear yet flexible layout principle.
Text block can be shifted flexibly. The recommended positioning is at the top left within the visual area.
Minimum spacing to the format edges is to be observed.
Freely arranged typography is not permitted.
The headline may not extend over more than three lines.
Body copy is not permitted in the visual area.
The headline may not be placed on the product.
The legal disclaimer should not be placed in the upper visual area.
The protection space must be observed around the Identity Modules.
Size: Headline no bigger than the symbol module, no smaller than the additional module. Headline at least twice the size of the subheadline. Between these, the size is variable and freely scalable. Balance must be observed with the other visual elements.
If a dealership address or price communication appears, the layout must contain a white space.
The relative proportions of visual to white space are variable, but the two elements are never of equal size: the purpose of this is to ensure a dynamic layout.
The minimum share of white space is 20% and the minimum share of visual is 40%. The headline and subheadline always appear in the visual area.
Landscape or square formats can also be subdivided vertically.
Identity Modules used with correct spacing. BMW font used. Headline and subheadline appear in the visual area. Headline capitalized. 85% black or 100% white font. All copy is flushed to one side. Legal copy at bottom of page. Relative proportion of visual to white space is correct.
No Identity Modules used (incorrect Roundel – Advertising Guideline violation).
Distressed message (Advertising Guideline violation).
Non-BMW font.
Incorrect use of black background and white font.

Co Branding

No other franchise or make is allowed in any eligible advertising, including website addresses.
If using a dealer’s URL in the ad, it is required to link only to a BMW exclusive dealer website that follows all BMW web standards (e.g., URL is dealer DBA name, no reference to other franchises, etc.).
No other franchise or make is permitted, including website addresses.
Exceptions: The BMW logo and wordmark may appear with the logos and wordmarks of other manufacturers for billboards, parts-supply trucks, print, and automotive group websites with the following conditions:
• Clear separation is required between logos.
• Only DBA-specific information is permitted for BMW and other manufacturers. May reference BMW affiliation with a specific dealer group only once in an ad.
• In mediums where dealer-developed creative is eligible for Retail Co-Op, 50% or more of the content is required to highlight BMW products/features and current sales offers.
The following infractions will not receive warning letters and will be denied. Ads that contain these Advertising Guidelines violations are never eligible for reimbursement. This includes the use of: • The flat-one dimensional Roundel • Advertising with other manufacturers • Using distressful messaging
Other vehicle makes can only be used in vehicle comparisons. It is best to always feature angles where the kidney grille and Roundel are visible. Competitive vehicles must always be of equal size or smaller than the BMW car model.

SOCIAL CROPS AND SIZING INFORMATION FACEBOOK Photo Post: Optimized Size 2000 x 2498, Square If Needed 1200 x 1200 Multi Photo Post: Optimized Size 960 x 1200 (same as Photo Post) Cover Photo: Size 851 x 315, Avatar 800 x 800 Video Specs: Size 1280 x 720 (or 16:9 ratio for HD) Thumbnail Image – same ratio as video Like Ads: Size 1200 x 444 Link Post Ads: Size 1200 x 628 Carousel Ads: Size 1000 x 1000 (or larger as long as kept at 1:1 ratio) TWITTER Photo Post: Recommended Size 1200 x 675 Avatar: 800 x 800TIF Cover Photo: Recommended Size 3000 x 1000 PNG Lead Gen Cards (Ads): Size 800 x 320 Videos: Size 1200 x 1200 INSTAGRAM Photos: Recommended Portrait Size 2000 x 2498 Square Size 2000 x 2000 Landscape 2000 x 1048 (not advised) Videos: Aspect Ratio 9:16 or 1:1 Instagram Ads: Recommended Size 2000 x 4298 Carousel Ads: 2000 x 2000 GOOGLE+ Cover Photo: Largest 2120 x 1192, Optimized Size 1080 x 608, Smallest 480 x 270 Avatar Photo: 800 x 800 (smallest 250 x 250) Post: Suggested Size 800 x 600 SNAPCHAT Geofilter: Size 1080 x 1920 PINTEREST Photo Pin: Suggested Size 864 x 1128 (This size performs best) Long Photo Pin: Suggested Size 864 x 2000 (length can be longer depending on post) YOUTUBE Channel Photo Cover: Size 2560 x 1440 Avatar: 800 x 800
SOCIAL MEDIA DO’S AND DON’TS CREATE AND MANAGE CONTENT FOR DEALER PAGES Your local Facebook, Instagram and Twitter handle provide you with the chance to promote your dealership to local fans.
DO: • Promote BMW. • Think ― engagement and interest first, rather than ― offers, offers, offers. • Engaging positively on their dealer page to create a sense of community with customers. • Promote local events: Local charity ties, sponsorships, civic ties, employee accolades, etc. • Promote local offers: Sales, arrival of models onto your lot, incentives. • Give users seasonal tips: ― Winterize now! ― Maintenance suggestions for summer road trips, etc. • Take photos of new owners and post them to your channels, providing you have their permission. • Encourage owners to post photos of their new car on their page and tag the BMW dealership. • Encourage customers to follow your channels and tag themselves in the photos on Facebook. • Ask open-ended questions to stimulate comments/conversation. • Let BMW USA know about major local happenings for consideration on a national level or for targeted regional messaging. You can reach BMW USA‘s social team at jaclyn.raineri@bmwna.com
DON’T: • Explicitly identify yourself as an employee or affiliate of BMW on public pages (such as in comments on Facebook) • Post anything that is damaging to the reputation of the brand on social media • Post anything unless you have noted publicly on your profile that your views and content are your own and not that of BMW • Comment on BMW content if it can be inferred from your profile that you work for or are affiliated with BMW • Post commentary, content or images that are defamatory, pornographic, proprietary, harassing, libelous, or that can create a hostile work environment • Promote or advertise local/dealer news and happenings on the national BMW USA channels page on your own. • Interact with other users on BMW USA content as an employee or affiliate of BMW, or at all if it can be inferred from your profile that you are an employee or affiliate of BMW • Reveal national event/promotional information before it has been announced by BMW USA; please refer to Marketing Central.
SOCIAL MEDIA ICONS • Always use the approved BMW social icon set provided. • Icons are 40px with 20px spacing.
Social media icons may not exceed 40 x 40 pixels on BMW Center websites. If present, they are required to be in the body or footer of the page, never in the masthead. Social media buttons as shown are acceptable.

Digital Guidelines

All dealer websites must only use this color palette and the guidelines associated with it.
Black and shades of gray dominate, with blue reserved for primary icons, roll-overs, actionable content, and highlighted states.
The BMW Color Palette is made up of these colors and shades. Black 000000 Dark Gray 221F1F Mid Gray 666766 Light Gray B5B5B5 White FFFFFF Blue 1C69D4 Blue Gradient 1F72E4 -1A62C5 Gray Gradient 666766 -979799 Red FF0000 - usage limited to error messages
All BMW Center websites must follow the copy guidelines below to be compliant, including capitalization rules and point size, leading and kerning rules.
To meet typography standards, greater than 75% of the homepage is required to comply with BMW’s global fonts.
The approved BMW font families are Helvetica, Arial and Sans Serif.
The font size may range from 8 pt to 44pt
The following are all buttons and button-type styles used throughout the website. These are the only button types compliant for dealer websites.
BLUE CTA BUTTONS: Should be used sparingly throughout your website. They are meant to be used as high-level callouts for the most important sections throughout the site.
GRAY CTA BUTTONS: Meant to click for more informational content.
Button Size = 171 x 45px Button Gradient 1c62c5 -1f72e4 Type centered vertically Button Size = 171 x 45px Button Gradient 666766 -979799 Type centered vertically
Roll-over Button #1c69d3 Roll-over Button #b5b5b5
Mobile CTA: Text Link on gradient #FFFFFF -xxxxxx Text 12px #000000 Initial Caps Arrow 14px height 3px stroke
Text Link on #ffffff color field Text 12px 5px #666766 Arrow 14px height
Button hierarchy goes as follows: 1st Blue button 2nd Gray button 3rd Text w/ Arrow 4th Box w/ Triple Arrow
If needed, the following CTA options can be leveraged for secondary and tertiary actions. Only the styles below can be used by dealer websites.
BLUE MULTIPLE CTA BUTTONS: Should be used only when 2 buttons are absolutely necessary for an area.
BLACK MULTIPLE SUB-NAVIGATION BUTTONS: Multiple black CTA buttons are to be used in sub-navigation areas only and are placed on the far right of the navigation bar.
Down arrows are effective to guide and alert the user at the beginning of a narrative thread to begin the page “story.” They should always be clickable and can only be used to move to the next section of the same page.
Down Arrow on darker field: #000000 55px x 29px Stroke = 2px Down Arrow on lighter field: #ffffff 55px x 29px Stroke = 2px
The main navigation area should be as simple and easy to use as possible for the user to find what they need on the site. Place in priority order from left to right.
There can be a maximum of seven links in the main navigation.
The main navigation never locks -it scrolls off the page as the user scrolls down.
Only one Roundel can be used on a page. This should be the one in navigation only. An exception can be made if the Roundel also appears on merchandise or if it exists in a vehicle image or on a building.
There may not be any rounded corners on buttons.
Personal dealer logos cannot be present in the masthead. The masthead should state at most the dealer’s name, address and phone number(s).
It is required to comply with BMW color palettes.
The global navigation is required to display a link to Certified/Pre-Owned Vehicle Inventory.
Recommended Navigation Tabs: • New (Vehicles) • Financing • Certified Pre-Owned • Special • Pre-Owned • Offers • Service & Parts • About Us
For BMW Center websites that need to adapt to different languages, the Google Website Translator plugin must be positioned on the top right in the crown.
The sub-navigation bar must lock to the top of the page once the user scrolls past its vertical location.
These secondary navigation elements are used for longer pages to help the user jump between vertical sections quickly. Note the separation of tabs on the right side that navigate off the page with right-pointing arrows.
The BMW grid is currently a 14-column grid with 20px gutters for easy placement of content. The columns can be used in any combination to achieve best results, and make the transition to mobile seamless.
Modules snap to the edges of columns so they’re easy to use across site.
BMW Center websites must use the main navigation, marquee and footer modules on every page to remain compliant.
Footers are to comply with BMW global fonts and color palettes. Font size may not exceed 12 pt.
Company logos, such as Google or any of the BMW-preferred website providers, may not exceed 120 x 120 pixels and may not be in the BMW masthead. If present, they are required to be in the body or footer of the page.
Personal dealer logos may not exceed 185 x 90 pixels.
The homepage template is a set of modules that can be rearranged or replaced with other modules. BMW Center websites must use the main navigation, marquee and footer modules on every page to remain compliant.
BMW Center websites must include the series selector module.
Direct links to all current BMW FS finance, lease and Certified Pre-Owned offers are required to be present on the homepage.
Specific offer pages are required to include all current BMW FS finance, lease and Certified Pre-Owned offers and comply with BMW’s color palettes.
Pop-ups may not exceed a pixel range of 800 x 800.
They may only appear once per user session.
They may not cover ID boxes, unless they are a lead-generating form.
They may not cover the Roundel, unless they are a lead-generating form.
All pop-up messages are required to comply with the BMW color palettes.
The website URL listed on the BMWUSA.com dealer locator is the single URL that may be used/advertised.
If other URLs exist, they are required to be redirected to the compliant website. The only exception is a service or accessories URL as stated in the Aftersales SEM Co-op Guidelines.

Print Guidelines

All new vehicle print materials are required to use photography on Marketing Central.
All new vehicle print materials are required to use photography on Marketing Central. Direct mail recipients must be within the dealer’s PMA or exist in the dealer’s records as a prior customer. Dealers are not required to use BMW-provided assets for this medium to be eligible for RetailCo-op.
Direct mail templates and new vehicle photography are available to you on Marketing Central. It is required to use photography on Marketing Central.
For formats not listed here, it is necessary to calculate the optimal dimensions for the respective medium. The standard modules can be enlarged or reduced proportionally to produce the required size. Legibility and distance to the format corners must be taken into account here. The minimum size of Identity Modules is 16mm.
Identity module sizes for standard formats | Application | Formatsize | Modulewidth | | A6 | 105 x 148 mm | 16 mm = 0.63 inches | | A6 long | 105 x 210 mm | 19.5 mm = 0.77 inches | | A5 | 148 x 210 mm | 22 mm = 0.87 inches | | Square | 210 x 210 mm | 31.5 mm = 1.24 inches | | A4 | 210 x 297 mm | 31.5 mm = 1.24 inches | | US letter | 215.9 x 279.4 mm | 31.5 mm = 1.24 inches | | A3 | 297 x 420 mm | 39 mm = 1.53 inches | | A2 | 420 x 594 mm | 55 mm = 2.16 inches | | A1 | 594 x 840 mm | 78 mm = 3.07 inches | | A0 | 840 x 1,188 mm | 126 mm = 4.96 inches |
Identity module sizes for newspaper formats | Format | Formatsize | Modulewidth | | 1/1 page, large format | approx. 370 x 520 mm | 48.5 mm = 1.9 inches | | 1/1 page, standard | approx. 300 x 450 mm | 41 mm = 1.61 inches | | 1/1 page, small format | approx. 220 x 320 mm | 31.5 mm = 1.24 inches | | 1 column | Width 45-70 mm | 8 mm = 0.31 inches | | 1 or 2 columns | Width 70-90 mm | 10.5 mm = 0.41 inches | | 2 columns | Width 90-120 mm | 15 mm = 0.6 inches | | 1/1 page, magazine | approx. 220 x 280 mm | 31.5 mm = 1.24 inches | | 2/1 page, magazine | approx. 440 x 280 mm | 39 mm = 1.53 inches |
Never use multiple logos (or sets of Identity Modules) on the samepage.
Do not use the Roundel as a designelement.
Use grey module boxes on a white background.
Use white module boxes on photography or black backgrounds.
Rule of thumb: Never find yourself recreating the roundel outside of advertising. i.e. welcome mats, staff shirts, etc.
Crops of images that hide large sections of the vehicle or obscure the area of the vehicle the user is viewing do not meet image standards.
Copy placed over a vehicle within an image does not meet imagestandards.
All copy on images is required to be legible.
Vehicles cropped through the Roundel or the kidney grille do not meet imagestandards.
It is also acceptable to include one Roundel on a visual overlay featuring an actual vehicle in inventory. The visual overlay is required to follow BMW global fonts and color palette.
There must not be any images, logos and/or text of non-BMW vehicles, including MINI. The only exception is the Used Vehicle search and Compare Vehicle section which may show non-BMW vehicles. Clarification: Vehicles featured on the website must reside on the BMW Center lot. The only exception is that BMW dealers with multiple locations (either satellites or separate points) can advertise pre-owned BMWs in inventory at ANY of their BMW locations. BMW brand vehicles in inventory at “other brand” affiliated stores are not eligible for this enhancement. BMW vehicles advertised that are not “on location” must be identified with their actual location.
The European model disclaimer is recommended for images depicting a European model.
Never crop out the Roundel or the kidney grille.
If a dealership address or price communication appears, the layout must contain a white space.
The relative proportions of visual to white space are variable, but the two elements are never of equal size: the purpose of this is to ensure a dynamic layout.
The minimum share of white space is 20% and the minimum share of visual is 40%. The headline and subheadline always appear in the visual area.

Naming Conventions

Centers must advertise under their DBA name in both copy and logos . They may reference affiliation with a specific dealer group only once in an ad; it must be in BMW font if in copy. They cannot use a group logo in advertisements.
If using a dealer’s URL in the ad, it is required to link only to a BMW exclusive dealer website that follows all BMW web standards (e.g., URL is dealer DBA name, no reference to other franchises, etc.).
No other franchise or make is allowed in any eligible advertising, including website addresses.
Each authorized BMW Center must have only one URL.
Centers are encouraged to purchase their DBA name and location as a keyword search term across the entire DMA.
Centers must focus on keywords related to the Centers’ DBA names as “Phrase” and [Exact] match types. Keywords related to the Centers’ DBA names are not allowed to be purchased based on Standard Broad match types.
Centers may not purchase other Centers’ DBA names as keyword search terms. DBA names within the same DMA must be added as negative keywords using phrase match type.
Centers may not purchase misspellings of other Center’s town names, locations or other names as keyword search terms.
Each dealer must have other dealer names within the same DMA as negative keywords: (e.g.: Dealer A must have Dealer B, C, D, etc. names as negative keywords on “phrase” match within Dealer A’s account).
Centers can only drive SEM traffic to their official BMW website. Running simultaneous SEM campaigns to multiple URLs or landing pages is prohibited.
Locations, DBA names and other descriptions used in the site must be consistent with the terms outlined in the dealer agreement.
Centers cannot list competing DBA names, locations and/or zip codes outside their Primary Market Area (PMA) within their site source code, page titles, descriptions, or meta data.
The BMW NA Certified Dealer Website Providers are: • Dealer.com • DealerOn • Naked Lime • DealereProcess • eBiz Autos • DealerInspire
If you are under contract with a vendor that is not certified, you may continue to use that vendor through the duration of your current contract and still remain eligible for 50% Retail Co-op reimbursement during your contract. You will be required to provide a copy of your vendor contract as a backup document for Retail Co-op in order to establish your continued eligibility. After your current contract with any non-certified vendor expires, you will need to work with a certified vendor going forward in order to remain eligible for 50% Co-op reimbursement.
The website URL listed on the BMWUSA.com dealer locator is the single URL that may be used/advertised.
If other URLs exist, they are required to be redirected to the compliant website. The only exception is a service or accessories URL as stated in the Aftersales SEM Co-op Guidelines.
Refer to BMWUSA.COM/Bmw i for specifications
Always use BMW i3 and BMW i3 with Range Extender (REx). Do not use “i3” or “i vehicles” or “i car” or “iSeries.”
Always use BMW i8 Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV).