You know why I love Mini. It's not the classic retro styling repackaged in a stylish 21st century premium small car. It's not the personalized ordering system that let's you create a one-of-kind Mini reflecting your tastes. It's not even the go-cart handling and powerful turbo engine options (let alone the electric-only system we're experiencing with the Mini E).
No, those are all reasons I really like Mini. But I love the brand because of the genius marketing madness they've displayed since before the cars went on sale in the U.S. seven years ago. Instead of the standard issue (and expensive!) television ad campaign most car companies fall back on Mini has come up with some of the most creative advertising and marketing schemes in the history of the automobile, including our recently aquired Mini motoring package.
This kit just arrived in the mail, with no action (or money) on our part. Inside it you've got all of the usual fare, including a mouse pad, pen, hat and keychain. But in typical Mini fashion you've also got "window poetry," which consists of approximately two dozen separate words on clear adhesive pads. The idea is to assemble the words you want (like "Let's" and "Motor") and stick them to the inside of your window for other drivers to see. The adhesive isn't permanent, so you can change the message whenever you want.
There's also a secret-agent-like kit that lets you decode hidden messages within Mini magazine ads, an antenna ball with the British flag and a Mini-themed logbook.
I'm not suggesting there's brilliance in producing a Mini-themed secret decoder kit, but the cumulative effect of these creative efforts to build brand awareness and instill brand loyalty in a far more cost-effective manner than the typical television campaign? Pure genius.
altimadude00 says:
03:47 PM, 10/16/09
How does Mini save the planet with all this junk people throw away in a month or two?
louiswei says:
04:06 PM, 10/16/09
Pure Genius?
So BMW made y'all to pay $1000k per month to be their lab rats...
More like the people who paid are pure suckers.
empowah says:
05:07 PM, 10/16/09
I agree, Karl, MINI's branding is pure genius.
When they were with Crispin Porter + Bogusky, they practically invented viral marketing for cars. People drove around in Excurions with MINI shells mounted on top. They had hilarious infomercials for MINI products - www.motormate.com and www.counterfeitmini.com (this before the Lifan 320, when the notion of a counterfeit car was hilarious).
cwc1 says:
08:02 PM, 10/16/09
...or pure propaganda. So instead of throwing that stuff away when the owner gets tired of it, they should send it back to Mini for recycling, just like that slogan says.
cwc1 says:
08:05 PM, 10/16/09
I had forgotten about those counterfeit Mini ads. Yep, those *were* hilarious, and pretty clever too.
estreka says:
04:12 AM, 10/17/09
No one advertises like Mini. They are top dogs in the realm of marketing.
jriz says:
07:34 AM, 10/17/09
When my girlfriend got her 05 Mini Cooper S, she got a similar package in the mail. It included such things as little sticker labels that went over the toggle switches. I recall one was for an ejector seat. It was fun and she loved it.
Everyone above needs to chill out. What other car company sends you a package of fun little trinkets just for the hell of it AFTER you've bought the car? It builds brand reputation and appreciation, sure, but it's also fun. And since when is fun a bad thing?
louiswei says:
09:32 AM, 10/17/09
Sure it's fun and I live the Mini myself too, one day I would like to own a Mini CooperS as my fun car BUT...
To pay $1,000 PER MONTH to be someone's lab rat isn't really my definition of "fun".
mikeolan says:
11:03 AM, 10/18/09
These follow-up communications help build a lot of brand loyalty. Subaru does the same thing- they sent me all sorts of pretty magazines (mostly about how good of a company Subaru was and pretty pictures of widlife such as the deer who ate from their parking lot dumpsters, etc.).
And you know what? It works. "Jeez I can't get the Subaru dealership to fix the TPMS but how many Nissan or Honda factories have deer-friendly factories!????"
firstwagon says:
12:04 PM, 10/18/09
"To pay $1,000 PER MONTH to be someone's lab rat isn't really my definition of "fun"
I thought it was $850 and can you name an electric car that you can buy cheaper (not counting low speed "neighbourhood" vehicles).
It may be an experiment but so far it's more reliable then the Nissans so I think it's a good experiment.
Electric or not, owning a Mini is all about fun. If all you care about is practical buy a base Yaris hatchback.
dougtheeng says:
06:32 AM, 10/19/09
these sorts of marketing packages come with all MINIs, not just the MINI-E....so complaining that your "$1000 a month" is paying for this is not true. If you're going to hate, at least be logical about it.
....ps this new setup that lets me type out a message and hit 'post comment' without realize i'm not logged in is really dumb.
louiswei says:
08:06 AM, 10/19/09
"It may be an experiment but so far it's more reliable then the Nissans so I think it's a good experiment."
If it's an experiment then why should people pay?
Why can't BMW/Mini just pick 500 people from the existing mini owners who are willing to participate in the program and let them have the car for one year?
Doesn't matter if it's $1,000 or $850, either of them is way too much for an "experimental program".
mikeolan says:
11:39 AM, 10/19/09
@Firstwagon: Actually, mechanically, the Mini E has been significantly less reliable with far worse service than any of the Nissans. But I suppose it's "reliable" in the same way Suzuki makes good cars
firstwagon says:
07:17 PM, 10/20/09
6 years ago I would have agreed with you about Nissans being more reliable then Minis. However the opposite has proven to be true. Every Mini I have know (or read about) has been reliable and every recent Nissan I have known (or read about) has not.
Perception is not always reality just as you can't accept that countless people have had great little Suzukis just because you didn't.
cr_driver says:
10:40 AM, 10/22/09
Maybe not pure genius, but yeah, fun stuff.