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What’s happened to MINI’s advertising? The car company that defined clever TV commercials, highly effective viral marketing and rockin’ real-world signage has dropped their cute ’n‘ quirky post-modern arched eyebrow cock-a-snook-at-SUVs play up the handling and performance in a “less is more” kinda way branding message—most recently exemplified by their MINI Cabrio campaign. Now MINI’s going for simple shock tactics. Note to BMW: a brand is a terrible thing to waste. Note to MINI girls: fuck you, too. [Thanks to Seth L for the link.]
Since Mini is a girls car are they going after the subaru crowd?
Does this ad play in Europe? As it is, I don’t get the aim at all. The girls aren’t even that attractive.
Wait Wait Wait so uh
So is this aimed at the market of girls who want to be psychotic b**ches to everyone or the market of face melting reptilians?
I mean, gosh, when girls act wild and crazy why can’t they be like that wild girl Ranma Saotome? Oh wait, that’s a guy… well.. sort of ahem ^^ Or how about Reisen or Tewi Inaba? Or Marisa?
Could someone please run the following through Babblefish for me?
“The car company that defined clever TV commercials, highly effective viral marketing and rockin’ real-world signage has dropped their cute n’ quirky post-modern arched eyebrow cock-a-snook-at-SUVs play up the handling and performance in a “less is more” kinda way branding message…”
Or maybe it’d all be clear if I dropped some acid?
After watching the ad, I’m confused. The voiceover is quite sexy. So are these women supposed to be more appealing before or after the uniforms come off?
@Seth L: It must play in Germany at least because it mentions Frankfort Auto Show Sept 15. It definitely would not make it past standards and practices in USA even cable channels, except HBO or Showtime, because any flipping off is blocked or smeared.
Also, WTF? An ad that doesn’t show the product nor does it correlate what the ad shows/means and the product typically doesn’t work as intended. The ad is more memorable than what it’s selling.
I don’t think a couple of meth addicts flipping the world off will sell cars. More to the point, what in the ad even suggests they are selling cars? More like S+M coupled with a daddy fetish with a little house-maid schlock thrown in.
Reminds me a bit of the displays in the red light districts of Amsterdam.
I guess the car is now designed for anarchist punk wannabees with a possible lesbian bent? If that’s the demographic they are after, so be it. It just underscores the decline in civility and civilization that is rampant, today.
Unbelievable. I’m with RF. MINI took a tight, well developed brand and flushed all of its most endearing and valuable attributes for shock value.
Is the recession making BMW desparate? First an SUV with an “M” badge then a MINI SUV, ahem, crossover. And now MINI has decided to finish themselves off by going off the reservation. This might be better classified under Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
Simple. What happened to MINI advertising was that they lost the universally acclaimed ad agency Crispin Porter & Bogusky to Volkswagen a year or two ago. Since then, MINI advertising has been all downhill.
By the way, the next auto-industry marketing wound has just been self-inflicted: VW’s German “brain” trust, in its finite wisdom, has imperially decided that they’re divinely entitled to triple their current sales in America. Toward this end, they think they need a more “mainstream” agency. So, last month they fired Crispin. Cue bad ads….
“Untamed” was pretty hot. “Two” not so much.
You’re not kidding. On top of that, those two are scary. I expected vampire fangs to come out of their mouths. The subliminal message is highly aversive.
Makes “I’m the Chairman of GM… ” seem brilliant by comparison.
Somehow, I think that a video of two girls acting naughty ain’t gonna really reach Mini’s target market.
Now, two GUYS acting naughty might do the trick.
Is this an ad for the same car my urban yuppie friends drive? With baby seats in the back no less (yes it is possible).
The Shining reference was good and creepy, but zombies are hotter right now. Why no zombies?
True Blood is this summer’s smash hit on HBO, especially with the under 30 crowd. If you don’t get the True Blood thing, you will not get this teaser ad. The Suicide Girls book is all the rage too. Many of today’s 20-somethings look back with fond memories on their personal Goth phase.
Well, any thoughts of me ( 60 YO, white, middle class, retired, bald, male) buying a Mini just went down the toilet.
Too bad. I liked them up to about two minutes ago.
opps.
there goes the neighborhood.
seriously, the average mini buyer here in philadelphia – and there alot of mini coopers here, is like 35-70 or so, upper middle class sophisticated folks. like fine wine, good restaurants, european travel twice a year.
if they see this, they will immediately sell their minis, and bmw can try to sell their overpriced products to the demographic indicated by this ad, people who cannot afford them.
this ad is frightening, nightmarish.
You got to be kidding me – 2 anorexic women with attitude and one flipping the bird – WTF, I don’t even know where to begin.
OK, message to Mini FU too, take your 2 untamed bony women and drive whatever surprise you have in store for us in Hall 11 into the 2 untamed hipster marketing mavens who robbed you of your money.
I think I will buy from Mike Rowe instead.
Somewhere, some advertising creative is sending himself blind in the gents while yelling in pleasure “How brilliant am I??”
That the client bought it is equally shocking.
Is the recession making BMW desparate? First an SUV with an “M” badge then a MINI SUV, ahem, crossover.
Mini originally had a crossover – the Moke. My next door neighbor owns one. Issogonis designed it and it was in production until 1993. As long as they keep the new one small, there shouldn’t be an issue bringing it back. It’s part of the marques history.
Don Draper would not approve.
I don’t agree with “hipster marketing mavens who robbed you of your money”. The hipsters think this is high art. The car is a talisman that signifies ones contempt for the status quo. Buy the car and join an exclusive club where there are no rules except the rules WE the hipsters make.
Hipsters think they are edgy and non-conformists.
Hipsters think they have the world by the balls.
They’ll eat this crap up.
The suits who signed off on this want to be part of that group so they gave the go ahead.
Or it’s just a German thing like Mike Myers “Dieter” character on SNL.
Sad when a company gets bored with it’s own products.
Whatever else could you blame this on?
“Well, any thoughts of me ( 60 YO, white, middle class, retired, bald, male) buying a Mini just went down the toilet.’
Say what, you choose your new cars based on whether or not you like the advertising?
Can we blame this on Bangle?
If BMW keeps this up it will be the first time ever advertising will get me to sell something (my Mini)instead of buy something.
As a 60 year old male it’s getting too embarrassing to drive one. I know I am not the demographic they want, but since I am the demographic that has money, maybe they should reconsider.
Shame as the car is a hoot to drive and a great second car.