Earlier this year MINI debuted an incredibly well done 30 minute documentary that wowed us and others alike. Now it’s taken home advertising top honor, a Cannes Lion.

John Cooper is the father of much of what we love about MINIs. He’s the man who almost literally invented the idea of taking small cars, tuning them up to 11 and hitting the track. But he was so much more than that. He became a car racing legend with his rear-engine chassis design that would eventually change the face of the sport at its highest levels, from Formula One to the Indianapolis 500.

MINI John Cooper Works
MINI John Cooper Works

Cooper was so interested in the idea that he took time away from his winning Formula 1 team to invent the first Mini Cooper and eventually the Mini Cooper S. These were cars that weren’t just the daily drivers of Formula 1 drivers but soon became champion touring and rally cars worldwide.

Produced by Sky Sports and brought to us by MINI USA, this is the story of John Cooper and how it all began. And it’s one hell of a story for those of us who love MINIs. If there’s one video you watch today, make this the one.

Official Release: MINI John Cooper Works continues on its track of success. The brand keeps thrilling more and more MINI fans all over the world with its extreme sports orientation and race feeling. The marketing campaign for the current John Cooper Works models also takes the brand to top positions on the winner’s rostrum. The most recent highlights are the outstanding results achieved at the Cannes Lions 2018, the world’s most renowned festival of the advertising industry. The brand film titled “The Faith of a Few” won two golden and two silver lions in the Film Craft category.

The highly emotional campaign for MINI John Cooper Works conjures up the spirit of the brand’s rally sports activities from the 1960s. The classic Mini raced to overall victory three times at the famous Monte Carlo Rally. The wins of 1964, 1965 and 1967 turned the small British car into a motorsports legend – not least because they completely surprised many experts and therefore were received with frenetic celebrations by the crowds. The successes were above all owed to the great commitment and dedication of John Cooper. The sports car designer was a friend of Alec Issigonis, the creator of the classic Mini, and convinced him of designing a competitive sports version on the basis of the car that was originally intended as an economical family car. The film “The Faith of a Few” takes the viewer back to the year of the classic Mini’s first Monte Carlo victory. The authentic scenery makes the racing action and the crowd’s enthusiasm come alive, recalling the exciting days in January 1964 when the Mini Cooper S crossed the finish line in first place facing off the considerably more powerful competition and all the sceptics as well.

The brand film that impressed the Cannes Lions 2018 jury, conveyed the clear message: “There is a legend in every MINI.” In the closing sequence, the current MINI John Cooper Works appears side by side with the classic MINI Cooper S, thereby transferring the glorious past to today’s extreme driving pleasure. “The emotionally powerful images in the film impressively highlight how the fascinating history continues to live on in the current John Cooper Works models and products”, says Marc Lengning, Head of MINI Brand Management. The brand film is part of a comprehensive brand and product campaign showing how the combination of sportiness and exclusivity, traditional know-how and advanced technology brings racetrack feeling to the road. “The success in Cannes crowns the outstanding performance of our current campaign and shows that not only John Cooper Works models are true winners, but the marketing behind them, too”, says Sebastian Mackensen, Senior Vice President of MINI. The current brand campaign was created together with the agency Jung von Matt Spree; the Cannes brand film winner was produced by Anorak Film.

Apart from the four top athletes in the MINI model range, which achieved record sales in 2017 as well as in the first five months of 2018, the John Cooper Works special equipment and accessory products transport the brand’s legendary performance qualities. The optional John Cooper Works packages add thrilling sports appeal to all current MINI models. The John Cooper Works retrofit products are characterised by motor-racing looks and performance-oriented technology. Every MINI driver can use them to give his MINI just the kind of race feeling he is looking for.

The image of the John Cooper Works brand is, however, not only based on historic victories. More than 50 years after the third triumph in Monte Carlo, John Cooper Works know-how is still leading to victory after victory in motorsports, as proved by the brand’s latest rally successes. Four wins in a row at the Dakar Rally have definitely secured MINI and John Cooper Works a place in recent motorsports history. Currently the MINI John Cooper Works Rally is dominating the action in long-distance rally sports. After winning the Italian Baja recently, the team extended its lead in the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup 2018.