MINI USA’s Motor-Tober Events
MINI USA’s Motor-Tober is upon us in the US and dealers all around the nation are either having events or inviting owners or those simply kicking tires to come in for test drives. So with all that is happening at dealers, we want to hear about your experiences.
Driven one of those new R56 JCW demos that some dealers have available? How about dealer events? Or does your dealership have something cool coming up that people should know about? Let’s hear it in the comment section below…
Related:
[ Westchester MINI Motor-Tober Event ] MotoringFile
Brecht MINI here in San Diego had a scenic drive thru the East County of San Diego and back to Coronado Island for a major vintage car race – pleasant drive with 200 or so MINIs, then food and drink with Nuvolari’s ’34 Nurburgring winning Alfa – couldn’t have been nicer. Thanks go to SD MINIs for much of organizing and staffing!
Cincinnati MINI gives you a free pumpkin on your test drive
From here on out every Saturday for the rest of the month Niello MINI is having a bunch of games. Race remote controlled MINIs on a miniature track. Halloween costume contest for you and your MINI. Karaoke, food, and more games. I will tell you my experience after the 20th.
We’ve been pretty busy at Desert MINI of Las Vegas.
Our Motoring staff and potential customers have enjoyed the Mini MINI Slalom, MINI Slalom, Parallel Park-Off, Build Your Own Hamburger, Build Your Own Cupcake and, this weekend, we’re hosting the Stars of Karting Desert MINI of Las Vegas National Finals at the Las Vegas Super Speedway. Fans, team members, and competitors from the Snap-on Stars of Karting will receive the chance to test drive a MINI, on-track, under the professional supervision of a professional driver. Check it out at <a href="http://www.starsofkarting.com" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.starsofkarting.com</a>.
If you hang out here and you live in Vegas, we hope to see you there.
Both local dealerships have already had events 🙂
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<a href="http://www.gbmini.net/wp/2007/10/octoberfast_with_mini_of_peabody/" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.gbmini.net/wp/2007/10/octoberfast_with_mini_of_peabody/</a>
Oh, that made a complete mess of the links! Generated all sorts of back-end errors too 🙁
Crown MINI in Richmond, VA is having a Mini car show Sunday Oct. 28th, complete with awards, test drives, kids activities, catered food, etc.
Keeler MINI of Latham New York, Sponsored an event to where else? Cooperstown, New York. The event kicked off with a wonderful drive through the beautiful fall foliage of New York State. Then on to a fansastic brunch at the Otesaga Resort Hotel over looking the shore of Lake Otsego, followed by admission to the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museam. We could not have asked for a nicer time or better weather.
Thank you Keeler MINI!
Crown MINI in Richmond, VA also hosted a half-day at G-Force Karts. Sunday morning from 9 to 12:30, we packed in as many sessions as possible, while chewing the fat with reps from the sales and service side of the dealership.
Our local service manager (Courtney Cormier) set the fastest time of the event, but I was only 1/10 behind him!
It was fun fun <em>fun.</em>
I heard my first Motor-Tober ad this past Sunday. I have to say it was on of my least favorite MINI radio ads. It really felt like it was trying too hard to seem over-the-top.
From what I’ve seen of the Motor-Tober campaign so far, the execution has been lacking and it has come off more as desperation to sell cars sitting on the dealer lots than anything. Whether or not there is a lot of extra dealer stock, I’m not going to really debate… What I’m getting at is that this ad campaign creates the perception that there is, and that that in and of itself is bad. The tacit admission of these ads is that MINI NEEDS to push sales, not that MINI “sells itself.”
Honestly, I think this ad campaign runs counter to the branding MINIUSA should be conveying.
I agree with you on the radio ads Dave. I think the execution isn’t the right tone for the brand.
Maybe I am missing something… how do the ads, or Motor-Tober in general, create the perception that there is a lot of dealer stock? Is it because it is meant to sound like a stereotypical car ad?
Personally, I love the ads and I love the concept. What other automaker can turn a test drive into an event? They even created signage for us to display next to our candy corn… err, candy CONES! Fun!
I’ll be there in Rye (bringing the STi …)
I must also be missing something. MINI is very tounge in cheek when it comes to their campains (A La Hammer and Coop) I think it awesome how they poke fun at their own industry. I suppose some people just don’t understand humor.
Ditto on the radio ads. But I bet the dealers love them.
>I suppose some people just don’t understand humor.
I think it can be lost on a medium like radio.
MINI of the Main Line sponsored a tour of the Eastern State Penitentiary (to discourage speeding in your MINI?) in Philly and put out a nice spread after the tour.
I got a chance to test drive a JCW, but on the streets of Philly, you don’t get much of an opportunity to see where it really kicks in.