Despite the recent news of an automobile slump, controversy enveloping Nissan, and a clear move away from cars that burn fossil fuel, one carmaker is doing quite well. Bayerische Motoren Werke AG ($XETRA:BMW), or BMW to us Americans, hit record sales in 2019, and has been on a hot streak over the last decade. BMW sold 2.52 million cars last year, which was a hair over its mark in 2018, and 2020 could be another record-setter for the German company. It's even selling more bikes and motorcycles than ever. 

“We look at the coming year with confidence and aim to increase sales again in 2020,” BMW Head of Sales Pieter Nota.

What can we attribute this good fortune to? Possibly the popularity of the brand through social media.

The BMW USA Twitter account has seen a 59% increase over the last four years. And that's on top of the 2.1 million followers on the official BMW account. 

Facebook likes over time has leveled off, but the 'Talking About' count has kept its buoyancy, even hitting a high in 2019. Engagement, discussion, buzz, it's all good news for selling cars.

And finally, just to show the power of Instagram in these last few years, look at how BMW has put together a massive army of fans by simply showing people BMW's over and over. It might be better than traditional advertising, if we're being honest. In 2016, there were less than 500,000 followers. That number now sits at over 29 million today. Forget commercials on TV with a shrinking audience, this is a reason more people are interested in buying BMW's. 

About the Data: 

Thinknum tracks companies using the information they post online - jobs, social and web traffic, product sales and app ratings - and creates data sets that measure factors like hiring, revenue and foot traffic. Data sets may not be fully comprehensive (they only account for what is available on the web), but they can be used to gauge performance factors like staffing and sales. 

Further Reading: 

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