????現在起到八月這段時間去美國各地的寶馬經銷店就能試駕一款寶馬。如果是在“為美國隊而駕”（Drive for Team USA）這一天去試駕，寶馬公司還會向美國奧委會（the U.S. Olympic Committee）捐10美元。不過，你也許想不到，你會有25%的幾率被這輛車打動，進而掏錢買下它。

????實際上，在去年的奧運會推廣季中，每四個人中就有一個在參加試駕后購買了一輛寶馬，使得“為美國隊而駕”成為這家德國公司迄今為止最成功的事件營銷活動。寶馬北美區總裁兼首席執行官路德維格?威利士說：“這是我們開展過的最好的試駕活動。如果每年都開一次奧運會就好了。”

????除了為奧運會提供交通工具——4,000輛寶馬汽車，以及為150名奧運選手和殘奧會選手（其中11位來自美國；而寶馬贊助最多的國家是英國）提供贊助外，寶馬公司還為美國游泳隊開發了全新的動作追蹤相機軟件，為美國田徑隊開發了測速工具。

????珍妮特?埃文斯是美國游泳運動員，也是寶馬資助的對象之一。她說：“它是我見過的第一家真正關心運動員需求的贊助公司。”寶馬在硅谷設有研發實驗室。一年前，它開始接觸運動員，詢問他們，如何才能幫助他們提高成績。美國十項全能運動員、衛冕冠軍布萊恩?克萊稱：“他們的態度是，‘我們擅長做這些，請告訴我們你們需要什么，我們要怎么做才能幫到你。’”

????寶馬開發的技術讓像克萊和埃文斯這樣的運動員能更全面準確地了解，如果要全力以赴地游泳、奔跑、跳躍，他們需要怎么做。埃文斯調侃道，這種合作之所以奏效，是因為“我們就像精準調校的機器；寶馬想的是如何在路上飛馳，而我想的是如何在泳池里游得更快”。

????U.S. decathlete Bryan Clay in a technology testing session with BMW engineers and sports scientists of the USOC and USA Track & Field

????If you were to head down to your local BMW dealership between now and August, you'd be able to test-drive a vehicle, and if you do it on a "Drive for Team USA" day, BMW will give $10 to the U.S. Olympic Committee just for your trouble. But what you wouldn't guess is that there's a 25% chance you'll give in and buy one.

????Indeed, during last year's Olympic promotion one out of every four people bought a BMW after taking it for a spin, making "Drive for Team USA" the German automaker's most successful event of this kind to date. Ludwig Willisch, President and CEO for BMW North America, says, "This has been the best test-drive we've ever done. There should be an Olympics every year."

????In addition to providing transportation vehicles during the Games -- 4,000 of them -- as well as financial backing to 150 Olympians and Paralympians (11 from the U.S.; the nation most represented by BMW sponsorship is the U.K.), the company has developed new motion-tracking camera software for USA Swimming and velocity-measuring tools for USA Track & Field.

????Janet Evans, an American swimmer and one of BMW's athletes, says, "This is the first corporate sponsor I've seen that really cares about what the athletes need." The German automaker, which has an R&D lab in Silicon Valley, approached athletes nearly a year ago and asked them what could make them better. "Their attitude was, 'Here's what we're good at, so tell us what you need and how we can help you,'" says Bryan Clay, American decathlete and defending Gold champion.

????The technology BMW came up with allows athletes like Clay and Evans - the latter jokes that the partnership works because, "We are like fine-tuned machines; they want to go fast down the road, I want to go fast in the pool" -- get a more comprehensive look at exactly what they need to tweak for their next lap, run, or jump.