Dale, you're right. And wrong. Well, not you per se, but the whole argument that there is no benefit in supporting the PTG team because the car is no longer in production.
At most vintage racing events. the local car clubs have corrals. The BMW faithful who fill these corrals, who by and large do not own 30 year old limited production hand-built cars, but rather lease year old robot-built cars, still get behind the 2002's on the track and cheer like drunken frat boys at a final four game. I have attended ALMS races, and I've seen similar support for the PTG team. As they say, in the world of the blind, the one-eyed man is king -- if there are no other BMW's being campaigned in the US, then why on earth does in not make sense for NA and AG to support PTG?
I interpret this as yet another ill-conceived move that illustrates the growing disconnect between BMW and their traditional base of support. In a nutshell, they've sold the traditional BMW customer down the river in favor of courting the trend-driven consumer. Since Mr. or Ms. Flavor of the Month has no inkling of BMW's motorsport history, the marketing gurus deduct (most likely correctly) that any tie in to racing must feature the model Mr. or Ms. Flavor of the Month is currently piloting, or they'll never make the correlation. Even under the best of circumstances, these consumers are unlikely to be significantly influenced by racing success. Their desires are informed by fashion and lifestyle magazines, their peers, and their aspirational influences, i.e., cultural icons.
Tell me, does Paris Hilton drive an e46? Well then...
The failure of imagination here, of course, is that Mr. and Ms. Flavor of the Month have no brand loyalty. While they may currently be enamored with the Bangle-butt, they will be jonesing for something 180 degrees from that before the ink on the lease is dry. Hitching your corporate wagon to this star is all but certain to be a recipe for disaster. BMW and Mercedes both seem to have lost the lesson of their historical success, which is -- slow and steady wins the race. Bangle argues that BMW design before his influence was too much evolution and not enough revolution, and that the controversy and backlash proves the wisdom of his direction. The guy who invented asbestos insulation thought he was onto the trend of the future too...
