BMW held their largest convention in over 10 years in Cape Town. There were 400 delegates over 5 days with daily events that required bespoke menus and supporting information.

Although BMW have event management agencies, they don’t know the brand guidelines as well as APS which can delay the design process, therefore our on-site studio team were tasked with creating menus, restaurant and table branding for 14 meals at 12 different venues.

The challenge

Each venue needed bespoke materials designing that encompassed the look and feel of the restaurant, whilst also ensuring that all items adhered to and were clearly part of the BMW brand.

What did we deliver?

APS designed 31 items altogether to fit the event theme, 21 of which were printed (10 were produced locally in South Africa as large format or were used for digital screens). Many of these were unique items cut to shape, or with luxury print finishes.

The outcome

• We have worked with the BMW Events team to find a workflow where APS lead on print and production which is mirrored in the setup of artwork. BMW and their agencies are very pleased with this process, and we work closely and collaboratively to strengthen these relationships.
• Our costs were significantly lower than an event agency as we know the brand so could action quickly.
• We’ve since been briefed on a similar event in Tokyo by the same agency for MINI.

Following the success of the showroom upgrade programme and of the Ford Store programme, we were tasked once more to deliver a completely new concept, called Ford Signature, sponsored by Elena Ford directly and the Ford Global team based in the US.

Ford Signature is a new global design for a vibrant, innovative and digitally connected retail environment. It links the in-store and online Ford experience and provides a ‘Best-in-Class’ automotive purchasing experience for the customer.

The new design allows for optimal vehicle presentation, positioning the vehicles as ‘heroes’ within the showroom. Immersive, inviting spaces and supportive digital technologies are provided, which put the customer in control and encourage them to explore and discover.

Ford Signature encompasses an update of showroom exteriors, as well as customer facing interior areas, to create a seamless customer journey.

Ford of Europe and the Ford Global Team appointed us as the main supplier to support and guide the Ford Dealer Operations Managers in all 24 countries and their dealers on this exciting journey.

We have developed, tested and improved furniture designs and adapted it to the European standards where required. We have undertaken a very strict price review with the Ford Global Team and Ford of Europe to make sure that the Ford dealers would receive the best products and the best services at the most competitive prices.

This project has been a real team effort, with support provided from our APS Multilingual Account Management Team, the APS Multilingual Customer Service Team, the APS Product team, the APS Logistics and Transport teams and the APS Installation team and we are all extremely proud to carry on supporting Ford and its dealers on this new inspiring journey will see all the Ford network fulfilling the Signature concept over the next 7 years.

As the automotive customer journey is constantly evolving, we discovered a need for a more immersive experience in Ford’s showrooms – a customer-led approach that improved the decision and sales process.

Think

Behind a driving force of changing customer expectations Ford required a solution that would improve customer service and signposting within their dealerships, creating a more immersive experience. It was vital that the end result had the ability to evolve and grow as well as fit in any dealership.

Create

We were tasked with facilitating a premium showroom upgrade programme across Ford’s European dealerships; managing communications, manufacturing, procurement, logistics handling and implementation for materials, such as free-standing walls and furniture.

Deliver

We created 4 fully interactive customer ‘zones’ in each showroom, along with over 1,000 pages of self-guided, multilingual documentation and videos for dealers. Due to varying dealer sizes, we produced modular ‘kits’ that would work in any dealer environment across Ford’s 3,500 locations.

“APS’s end-to-end management approach has delivered some great flexibility for us and our dealers and customers have been really impressed with the service.”

Manager Retail Experience, Ford of Europe

Think

With millions of renewal packs every year, our client was dedicating an increasing amount of time in fulfillment activity. By reviewing the process, we knew we could change this.

Create

We moved the operation to our secure transactional print and card production facility, creating an end-to-end, automated document factory that produces secure print without manual intervention.

It accepts data directly from the client to personalise each component in the pack: the renewal letter, membership card, card carrier, and policy documentation. The card is attached to its carrier using the only machine in the UK capable of attaching up to 8 cards to a carrier. The letter, policy booklet, and card carrier are then combined before being enclosed.

Deliver

Introducing our automated process has created significant time and cost savings:

• 24% cost saving with regards to production, fulfilment and mailing
• Turnaround reduced by 7 days on each mailing.