The campaign comprises a series of films in which the new MINI stars as the unruffled hero of a short adventure. Put simply, the MINI is the star of a 'mini adventure'.In the blockbuster lead ad 'Martians', an alien invasion is taking place in London. The aliens wreak havoc until the new MINI arrives on the scene. Its quick-witted thinking thwarts the attack and the new MINI single-handedly saves the world...all in the space of 50 seconds! 'Film' really brings to life the campaign line 'It's a MINI adventure' - it has been classified as a film and features rolling credits even though it is only 12 seconds long
Philosophy
New MINI is a premium car for a new breed of style conscious motorists who wanted to downsize without losing status. Anything that reissued the past ran the risk of becoming a fad, a revamped, retro pastiche of a former icon. Genuine personality was what gave MINI its status. As such, the role of our communication was not about giving the car personality, but rather about giving MINI the space to demonstrate its genuine personality. We wanted to get people grinning again. The MINI adventure ads were an inspirational interpretation of our brief; scripts in which MINI is quite literally a hero - not a vehicle for the driver's heroism. The concept of dramatising MINI's personality was taken way beyond traditional advertising. MINI Adventures encompassed scaling the sides of buildings and a 'guerilla parking' scheme where MINI's appeared on roofs of cinemas & hotels.
Problem
WCRS were appointed in July 2000 with exactly a year to reposition the new MINI before launch. It's iconic status was manifold but it carried the weight of its predecessor on its shoulders. The challenge lay in identifying how above the line communication could enhance the launch above and beyond the hype and define a role for advertising that would bring to life MINI's iconic status for the current generation