Abstract

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG (BMW) underwent a severe corporate crisis from 1954 onwards; at the climax of this crisis the company was almost sold to its competitor Daimler-Benz in a dramatic general assembly on December, 9th 1959 the plan was thwarted only by minor shareholders and dealer representatives. An analysis of BMW’s car business area during the 1950s using the 4 Ps of the classic marketing mix as a methodological framework, reveals a missing marketing orientation as the real cause of this severe crisis.

Moreover, set in the context of the history of BMW’s car business in the 1930s and during the reconstruction after the crisis in the 1960s, the 1950s could be characterized as a singular and outstanding »marketing hole« in BMW’s history.