BMW repositions fun-loving Mini as cheap to run

by Fiona Ramsay, Marketing 29-Sep-08, 15:03

LONDON - Mini, the BMW-owned marque, is set to launch an online ad campaign as consumers look for more cost- and fuel-efficient automobiles.

The work will mark a move away from recent campaigns, which have centred on branding, and toward a more direct call to buy, despite the economic downturn.

The campaign, expected to comprise banner ads on car magazine and newspaper websites, will focus on key reasons to buy a Mini. The ads will drive drive browsers back to a Mini portal to find out more about how the cars stack up against rivals, the brand's green credentials, financing packages, as well as test drive and brochure information.

Previously, Mini has worked with its digital agency Profero to promote itself as fun and adventurous, such as through the 'Ban boredom' campaign.

Other brand-building campaigns have included 2006's 'Follow the white rabbit' online activity, inspired by Alice in Wonderland, in which users were taken on an online adventure. Last year, the new Mini Clubman was launched, backed by an online campaign positioning the car as ‘The other Mini'.