BMW is rolling out its new 1-Series car and is fully embracing new media and viral techniques to get its message out. The company announced that it is going to be spending half of its advertising budget for the car online (The New York Times reports that BMW spends 1 percent to 15 percent on Internet ad spending for its other models).

With a list price under $30,000 for the coupe BMW hopes the 1-Series attracts younger buyers who spend more time racing around social networks and less time on the Autobahn and are thus less susceptible to traditional forms of advertising. BMW is targeting Facebook users on a variety of platforms and using viral ad techniques to get the word out.

One of the best techniques to date is a faux documentary about the small (fictional) Bavarian town of Oberpfaffelbachen and its Rampenfest (think Octoberfest with a 454 meter ramp). The idea is that the people of the town are going to launch the new 1-Series over the Atlantic ocean to America. The filmmaker has a Wordpress blog, the town has a website, and there is even a Miss Ramp contest for ladies over the age of 21.