BMW Presented Golden Button Award by YouTube

Jason R. Sakurai
by Jason R. Sakurai

BMW videos on YouTube accessed by more than one million subscribers have earned the German automaker a coveted Golden Button Award.

BMW may be the “ultimate driving machine” on the highway, but online the brand is also racking up views and winning over fans. Social media channels are a big deal these days for any car company, and attracting a large following on YouTube is evidence of BMW’s popularity. More than one million viewers followed videos posted by BMW, and YouTube has bestowed the brand with this award in recognition of its success in engaging its online audience.

In a world predicated by social-media status, YouTube is an important communications conduit with customers and fans of the brand. The number of subscribers to the BMW YouTube channel has grown to 1.14 million, and films uploaded by BMW have had 333 million views worldwide, with users spending about 6.5 million hours watching videos on the BMW channel. According to YouTube, a user likes, shares, or comments on a BMW video every 57 seconds.

YouTube’s in-house video platform experts rated BMW the hottest auto brand. They cited in particular how films posted on the channel highlight BMW with an entertaining mix of discussion panels, documentary reports, and reveals of new models and vehicle concepts that showcased the company’s innovation and spirit.

The BMW YouTube channel programming includes breaking news, insider stories, and films, which have increased the number of clicks and likes. New model presentations alternate with profiles, and future technology showcases. A ‘how-to’ series explores current BMW model functions, plus a steady stream of amusing driving reflections are also featured. The most popular post by far has been ‘The Small Escape’, a short film with high production values released last year. Set in a divided Berlin of the 1960s, it tells the story of an escape across the border between East and West in a BMW Isetta, racking up more than 23 million views.

[Image: BMW]

Jason R. Sakurai
Jason R. Sakurai

With a father who owned a dealership, I literally grew up in the business. After college, I worked for GM, Nissan and Mazda, writing articles for automotive enthusiast magazines as a side gig. I discovered you could make a living selling ad space at Four Wheeler magazine, before I moved on to selling TV for the National Hot Rod Association. After that, I started Roadhouse, a marketing, advertising and PR firm dedicated to the automotive, outdoor/apparel, and entertainment industries. Through the years, I continued writing, shooting, and editing. It keep things interesting.

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  • Inside Looking Out Inside Looking Out on Dec 23, 2020

    So they make money on Youtube and cars are just the side business to attract clicks on their Youtube channel.

    • Brn Brn on Dec 23, 2020

      It's their new business model. Works for others.

  • Don1967 Don1967 on Dec 24, 2020

    I remember when YouTube was an open forum for the masses, instead of a carefully-curated cable news & shopping channel.

  • ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
  • Carson D The UAW has succeeded in organizing a US VW plant before. There's a reason they don't teach history in the schools any longer. People wouldn't make the same mistakes.
  • B-BodyBuick84 Mitsubishi Pajero Sport of course, a 7 seater, 2.4 turbo-diesel I4 BOF SUV with Super-Select 4WD, centre and rear locking diffs standard of course.
  • Corey Lewis Think how dated this 80s design was by 1995!
  • Tassos Jong-iL Communist America Rises!
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