Munich. The English-language podcast thriller
“Hypnopolis” by BMW is being continued. The second season of
the successful audio entertainment format starts today. It is
completely fictional, stands out from the competition and is the first
ever interactive podcast published by a brand. The episodes of the
first season released last year, starring time-travelling journalist
Hope Reiser, topped the podcast charts and were played in 26 countries.
“Hypnopolis II, Utopia in progress” bases its plot, even
more so than in the first season, on data-based future scenarios from
the BMW Group. The main focus is on the megatrend of the circular
economy and the responsible use of resources. The protagonists of the
new edition of the eco-thriller travel in futuristic airships to
stunning locations of a slowly regenerating world, such as a solar and
recycling farm in North Africa. The “Hypnopolis” story
deliberately focuses neither on the BMW brand nor on vehicles, but it
does draw on the expertise of the BMW Group. The plot is based on
assumptions made by the company’s ‘future” experts – for example about
how cities and mobility will develop.
BMW now focuses even more on a futuristic storytelling format as part
of its highly regarded audio strategy. The listening experience has
been improved even further. Conceived by the British star author
Robert Valentine together with the Hamburg creative agency Jung von
Matt/NEXT ALSTER and elaborate production in Los Angeles and Hamburg,
“Hypnopolis II” season is an interactive podcast. Listeners
can influence events with individual decisions by speaking short voice
commands. So the outcome of the story varies depending on the choices
a listener makes. This makes the podcast even more personal, authentic
and entertaining. “With the second part of our successful
fictional podcast series, we are providing an even more personalised
listening experience with new, interactive elements. Listeners can
influence the course of the story through their decisions – this is
how we emotionalise the brand and consistently follow our
customer-centred marketing approach,” says Stefan Ponikva, Head
of BMW Brand Communication and Experience.
Since the format has also been implemented in the entertainment
programme of BMW vehicles, customers can enjoy the podcast as an
“in-car experience”. “Hypnopolis” alongside
“Changing Lanes”, “Creators of a different beat”
and “KulturMobile. The Literature Podcast.” is the fourth
podcast from BMW.
All BMW Group podcasts can be accessed as follows:
“Hypnopolis” bmw.com, youtube, Spotify,
Apple Podcasts, deezer, Google Podcasts
“Changing Lanes”: bmw.com, youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts,
deezer, Google Podcasts
“Creators of a different beat”: youtube, facebook
“KulturMobile. The Literature Podcast.”: bmwgroup.com,
youtube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, deezer, Google Podcasts