For your eyes only: MINI owners get private marketing
This month MINI is running ads in five magazines, the copy of which will only be known to current MINI owners. All 150,000-plus MINI owners have received a black box in the mail containing special glasses that will allow them to read the covert advertising. After the message is revealed, the ad instructs owners to asweseefit.com where they can enter their VIN number and get some sort of reward. MINI has always been known for making the most of its relatively small ad budget, and it plans to leverage the promoting power of the brand's current owners with this campaign in the hopes of scaring up some more. Of course, we're not going to let MINI owners have all the fun, so you can check out the revealed ad after the jump.
[Source: Advertising Age via PSFK]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
rwdmtparkingonly 2:06PM (8/11/2006)
Send the 1-series, please?
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Bruno Vanzieleghem 2:15PM (8/11/2006)
I'm one of the lucky MINI owners that received the book in the mail, containing the special glasses. They should have spent the advertising dollars on the updated MINI instead for me to buy an other one. The interior looks especially cheap. Thanks, but no thanks.
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Azhar 2:19PM (8/11/2006)
Thats the new shape... The mini mkII
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lavardera 2:21PM (8/11/2006)
how about "pretty please"
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rwdmtparkingonly 2:30PM (8/11/2006)
No it's not, the new one has ugly side markers that go around a trapazoid shaped piece of body color plastic, kind of like the Z4 side markers.
The counterfeit mini campaign was their best ad campaign by far, unfortunately for bmw the yaris 2dr did a bit too good a job in replicating the mini cooper.
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epilonious 2:40PM (8/11/2006)
"unfortunately for bmw the yaris 2dr did a bit too good a job in replicating the mini cooper."
Uhhhhm. I'd like to see some more argumets to support this theory...
The BMW feels a LOT less cheap than the yaris 2-dr. At least in the states (which is understandable since the mini is also more expensive). I know aesthetic arguments are subjective but I feel the mini also looks better since it went after "neuvaux retro" and not "cheap chic".
While I adore the Yaris and love that Toyota released a cheap-n-efficient hatchback to appease those who wont for simpler and less expensive times... The mini exudes a sense of sporty fun while the Yaris only has this "but at least I'm cute in a funky sorta way" vibe.
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JC Whitless 2:40PM (8/11/2006)
What, no links to hot circa 84 Sheena Easton pictures...
The shame I say
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Britney 2:45PM (8/11/2006)
Great marketing idea I just hope someone posts what it is they are hiding from the rest of us.
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rwdmtparkingonly 3:04PM (8/11/2006)
Here is my support:
http://autos.msn.com/research/compare/default.aspx?c=0&n=3&i=0&tb=0&ph1=t0&ph2=t0&dt=1&v=t101442&v=t102493
The yaris isn't best in every category, but almost all categories are close; it's even in safety features and has better fuel economy. I really don't like fwd, but if you're going for that I think you should at least get a good deal.
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ZoomZoomin' 3:26PM (8/11/2006)
That reminds me that I need to open my box. Though now I already know what's inside. ...and now I know what the ad is. Oh well, maybe I don't need to open the box after all.
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geno endicott 3:27PM (8/11/2006)
I got my box!!
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epilonious 3:41PM (8/11/2006)
Hruh... Thats a paradigm shift. I guess I never thought the styling and handling were that close between the yaris and mini cooper.
Now if only Toyota would make a GT version to compete with the Cooper S. It's only a matter of time before the FWD subcompact HP wars begin.
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Doogs 3:56PM (8/11/2006)
"unfortunately for bmw the yaris 2dr did a bit too good a job in replicating the mini cooper.
The yaris isn't best in every category, but almost all categories are close; it's even in safety features and has better fuel economy."
Uhh...the Mini and the Yaris are both small. That's about where comparison ends. Have you sat in them both? Have you driven them both? The gulf is as wide as that between "Pole Position" and "Gran Turismo 4". They fulfill completely different purposes and approach the small-car thing in completely different ways.
You can't rely on numbers alone. How do you quantify steering feel or upholstery quality?
I mean, if you're going off numbers, the Camry V6 clobbers a BMW 530i. It is cheaper, has more horsepower, more torque, better fuel economy, smaller turning diameter, etc. That's great and all, but at the end of the day I know which one I'd rather own.
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rwdmtparkingonly 4:19PM (8/11/2006)
If toyota turned the camry engine 90 degrees, put it right behind the front axle line, connected it to the rear wheels, and disconnected it from the front wheels, I would rather own a camry than a 530i. Especially in the real world where I have to pay for the car and deal with the asshole bmw dealership. Toyota: please start selling decontented IS 250s at toyota dealerships.
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Rob 4:20PM (8/11/2006)
Doogs,
You'd rather own the Camry V6, right? right? J/K :)
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Paul 2:19PM (9/26/2007)
"Of course, we're not going to let MINI owners have all the fun, so you can check out the revealed ad after the jump."
Um, "Buy another one." Is not what the ad says. That picture isn't in the ad anywhere, on asweseefit.com, or even after you enter your VIN. What DOES happen is you get info and free downloads about Mini Takes the States.
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Galaxy 1:03AM (9/20/2006)
"unfortunately for bmw the yaris 2dr did a bit too good a job in replicating the mini cooper"
Yeah right, next thing I know you'll be saying how you much rather drive a camry over a 5 series BMW. Oh, you've already done that. Well let me explain what the differences between a Mini and a Yaris are:
Mini = Young successful executive
Yaris = Young lonely stamp collector
Mini = Sporty elegance on the road
Yaris = Nerdy misfit on the road
Mini = Turns heads in the right direction
Yaris = .... you get the idea .....
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