Category: Best Use of Branded Content & Sponsorship
Advertiser: MINI WORLDWIDE
Product/Service: MINI COUPÉ + MINI ROADSTER
Agency: BSUR
Executive Creative Director: Jason Schragger (Bsur)
Creative Director: Genevieve Hoey (Bsur)
Client Services Director: Mia Drexl-Schegg (Bsur)
International Account Supervisor: Paula Atwell (Bsur)
Strategy Director: Jeffre Jackson (Bsur)
Creative Director: Karl Dunn (Bsur)
Art Director: Simon Johnson (Bsur)
Copywriter: David Govier (Bsur)
Art Director: Salvatore Gullifa (Bsur)
Executive Producer: Anna Lindequist Ruello (Bsur)
Associate Producer: Oscar Thomas (Bsur)
Account Executive: Liam Osbourne (Bsur)
Account Director: Ben Dietz (Vice)
Account Director: Thobey Campion (Vice)
Account Director: Shanon Kelley (Vice)
Creative Director: Joseph Patel (Vice)
Associate Producer: Matt Yoka (Vice)
Field Producer: Mariah Wilson (Vice)
Camera Operator: Nickolaos Neofitidis (Vice)
Project Manager: Barnett Zitron (Vice)
Media placement: Online Campaign - 5 Episodes - Facebook, YouTube, VICE Platforms - 14 November 2011
Insights, Strategy & the Idea
The MINI range has expanded from the Hatch to six more family friendly models. As a result, research showed MINI was losing both its iconic edge and its appeal to men. Especially the more adventurous kind who made MINI such a success in the first place. To reach a new male audience – younger than the current average male audience of 45, we needed to produce an edgier campaign with a tone of voice we couldn’t use in traditional MINI TV & print communications. Our challenge was to use the launch of the sporty new MINI Coupé and Roadster to reach this new generation of male fans. Knowing that peer communication works best with guys, we decided to make our fans our ambassadors, put them in front of the camera and in the heart of the action to give them a real taste of the MINI adventurous spirit.
Creative Execution
ALL THE WRONG PLACES is a social media based, branded content series, where we sent the new MINI, a host and 5 Co-Pilots recruited through MINI Facebook on unwise Missions across the globe.
Japan, South Africa, Peru, Sweden, Jamaica. They brought back crazy stories people wanted to see, and share. It was the first time MINI put their Facebook fans in front of the camera.
We partnered with VICE to tap into their global youth network. Vice.com online banners, VICE Facebook posts, Twitter, Digg, StumbleUpon, Reddit, print ads in VICE Magazine, global press releases, as well as content distribution to key syndication partners drove people to the campaign. MINI FB banners and YouTube True View ads were also used.
To promote ‘1 to 1 to many’ sharing, our 6 month editorial calendar and weekly communications plan engaged MINI and VICE social media communities through Facebook, Twitter, MINISpace and VICE platforms.
Results and Effectiveness
The campaign has generated great results. For nearly 7 months millions of fans across the world rode with us to ALL THE WRONG PLACES.
The social media activity alone has generated over 3 million video views.
More than 5,833 days of unique MINI Coupé and Roadster adventure content has been consumed online. And we scored write-ups in The New York Times, The Huffington Post and other world-renowned media outlets.
Most importantly we’ve achieved our KPI - 101% increase in our key audience of younger guys aged 25 – 34. (MINI Facebook Insights)
The new MINI Coupé and Roadster have boosted the masculine adventure ‘halo’ for the MINI brand, and are now themselves synonymous with unexpected driving adventures.