Pandora is now available on all model year 2011 BMW vehicles – and it’s operated with the existing, familiar BMW controls.
In other words, once you bring Pandora to your car via your mobile device, the user experience is integrated with the one you are already familiar with. No awkward iPhone manipulations required. And that moves it even closer to an easy dash-driven radio-like experience.
Needless to say, anything that makes Pandora work like radio increases the ability to substitute Pandora for radio. Ease of use (and ownership of the car) is, obviously, a key strength of radio overall.
Here’s a thorough walk-through of Pandora and other BMW apps (including their streaming radio app):
So what does this mean to you?
It means that broadcasters need to see the car for what it is: A digital lifestyle accessory.
What are you doing to hold the interest and usage of audiences in that place? How do you fit into the consumer’s mobile digital lifestyle?
Maybe it’s with unique and exclusive content. Maybe it’s with digital bells and whistles that make your content sing.
It’s not with the same old same old.
And no number of debates about FM on mobile phones will solve this problem for you.