The Mini Cooper advertising campaign has long fascinated me. They not only have full page ads in some of the top publications (huge budget!), but these include pages cut to Mini's specifications, stickers for your car and cut outs for your desk. The ads are always interesting and innovative.
Today I saw another interesting piece of marketing - at the self service gas pump. Above the pump was a simple placement by Mini titled "Why not strike up a conversation?" The plain copy goes on to say (paraphrasing) Nobody talks at the pumps any more. Maybe take a moment to give a casual "hi" or "nice wheels" to the person across from you. Be friendly. It feels good. And in the bottom right corner is a photo of a Mini. Just another in a series of memorable ads.
Simple. Nice. Not in your face "BUY ME". I like it. Some companies try to hit you over the head with 'buy me now' practically written all over the ad. Sometimes a soft sell is the best way to go. Will I buy a Mini Cooper because of these ads? Probably not as it doesn't suit my needs, but I've been thinking about that placement at the pump all day, told a colleague about it and now I've blogged about it. So did this particular marketing piece accomplish their goal? I'd say it did just that.
Coincidentally, as I was digging around the internet about them I noticed that David Kiley over at BusinessWeek reports Mini Cooper USA announced a new advertising agency today. We can only hope that the new agency will be as creative at the old and keep coming up with nontraditional marketing for the company. I'll be interested to see where they pop up next.
Just a tidbit for the day. Thanks for stopping by.
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3 comments:
Amen! I love stories like that. Effective marketing need not be "the same old thing". Do something new and fun. Make people talk. Make them laugh. Anything but take a picture and say "buy me".
seriously. you can borrow my bic pen any time you like. it's really okay with me.
Dear Anonymous Woosie:
Do you think you are original? Let me tell you that you are not - not by a long shot. Also, please do read my first post in the November archive about what I will and will not talk about here and what I think is acceptable and what isn't. If you are confused, this isn't. This is my personal blog, NOT a work blog. Please be respectful of that. For that, I will thank you. Happy Holidays.
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