MINI’s Confidential Website Videos

Jeff Oct 13th, 2006 Link

I don’t get it.

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j Oct 13th, 2006 Link

absolutly pointless- except for when they show a mini for half a second at the end

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MiniMaybe Oct 13th, 2006 Link

This is what you get when you give the ad guys to much money and say be edgey & hip.

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Nozz Oct 13th, 2006 Link

Was this some kind of art school project? WTFO?

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Tom Oct 13th, 2006 Link

In many ways these are very well executed viral adverts. The idea is of course to generate a bit of buzz; the weirder, the better. You’re not supposed to get it. They are intentionally “bad”, which in a certain sense makes them good.

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Steve Oct 13th, 2006 Link

Go back and look for the website, then you will understand.

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lTZMTOR Oct 13th, 2006 Link

Sorry… but I love ‘em! AsWeC-FiT! Ha!

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mr.abulia Oct 13th, 2006 Link

Did anyone get past the website login? My VIN didn’t work!

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mike Oct 13th, 2006 Link

in actuality, creating something that looks that bad without it actually being bad and serving a purpose (which it does in the big picture) is very difficult.

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BartMack Oct 13th, 2006 Link

Crispin Porter + Bogusky was infinitely better for MINI…. a match made in heaven. I say this not to MINI’s shame at all, but to CP+B because Volkswagen is still no better for having them…. but hey in CP+B marginal defense, 400 mil or so buys a lot of tricked out MCS’s……

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Josh Wardell Oct 13th, 2006 Link

You should have already been to the website a month or so ago from the secret message MINI ads…

If your vin doesn’t work, make sure it is in all caps.

These are a little more fun than the transforming robot thing at least.

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Nathaniel Salzman Oct 14th, 2006 Link

Ick. These are rubbish in my personal and my opinion. Viral was once “the new great thing” in advertising, but now it’s just another media bucket so many bigger agencies will arbitrarily try to plug a client’s brand into whether it’s an appropriate promotions avenue or not. I can’t help but think so much of this kind of thing is just bored creative directors who want to do something “edgy” for their own amusement rather than the actual benefit of their client. The MINI brand is out of its infancy. The buzz is there and the interest is in play, why not actually talk about the car or give me a reason to buy a MINI over a GTI?

To me these fall squarely in what Seth Stevenson calls “odd-vertising.” They’re weird, but not interesting. They’re cute-sy, but not actually funny. And once you finally get to the “bugs have feelings too” website, all its clever concept is over in about 3 seconds and worth all of half a chuckle. And for that reason, they’re not even really viral. The whole concept of viral marketing isn’t that it’s strange or unconventional, but that you don’t actually realize that it’s advertising until your very engaged in it, and by then you kind of don’t care. A little MINI doing a sliding stop after a cockroach conversation is not viral marketing, it’s just a bad concept.

And for those who are curious, it’s this kind of stuff that kills brands – at least that’s what I think. The antithesis being MINI Canada’s “Dominating Winter” web feature on MINI.ca. It’s engaging, unconventional, hilarious, and completely benefit-centric. Unlike so many other cars on the road out there, the MINI actually has a lot of very unique features and capabilities to offer the driving public – personality not included. The challenge to the advertisers is to find interesting and unique ways to tell me about the car, not simply attaching the car to something weird and noticeable.

A streaker will get a lot of attention, but he’s a lousy spokesman for a product. Well, maybe running shoes. :-)

professional disclaimer – I fully appreciate and respect that this is a group of peoples’ hard work. It’s simply my impression of the outcome, and my own opinion. Steering a brand is no easy thing – we all deal with it every day in this industry. So to everybody over at BSSP, I mean no disrespect. In addition to these which I didn’t like, I’ve seen some great outdoor and other fun stuff from you folks for MINI. So keep up the good work.

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dickdavid Oct 14th, 2006 Link

I couldn’t agree with you more about your creative critique, Nathaniel.

Plus, BSSP isn’t CP+B and I wish they’d stop trying to imitate – or is this just transitional creative gone wrong?

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joey drama Oct 15th, 2006 Link

y dont we see more mini commercials on tv instead of just ads and billboards? i think that “vdub in da house (or haus)” series gave the gti an awsome start considering most enthuseists i talked to were unhappy with the overall outcome of it. in this case VW definitly was marketing it the younger crowd and whats seen on the road reflects that. the old person iv seen so far driving one was in thier late 20s. i think mini could really get the ball rolling wit hthe r56 if they had a similar series- but directed to a much broader demographic

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Flattery or Imitation Oct 15th, 2006 Link

Speaking of imitators – has anyone else noticed how much CPB is copying its own work for MINI and applying it to VW?

Book of Motoring vs Jetta Backseat Drivers Manual.

VW’s new auto show booth design vs. MINI’s original booth design?

Rabbit Transit System print ads currently running vs. MINI Motor Courses print from 2003?

I guess if it worked for MINI, it still works for VW?

Shame on them.

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Nathaniel Salzman Oct 15th, 2006 Link

I guess if it worked for MINI, it still works for VW?

If a VW were a MINI, then yes it would work. ;-) But that’s a pretty big if. No matter what, your product has to live up to its brand promises. Look at BP lately. After branding themselves “the green energy company”, they failed to live up to it and now they just look like big green liars to the world market.

A lot of people seem to think that advertising is just making stuff up, but the best brands tell the truth – something that CP+B did very well with MINI. VW has a similar heritage of great driving experience, so it’s not surprising that they’d look to push a lot of the same buttons in their creative. Sad to see derivative pieces though. Copying yourself looks pretty lame though.

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Siddhartha Oct 15th, 2006 Link

ridiculous, IMHO. luckily MINI still sells all they can make, so they can afford this type of wanking.

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AlwaysOpenCharlie05 Jan 16th, 2007 Link

Those were SO funny. Wow.

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