viewers were able to ride with the MINI
COUNTRYMAN on the highways of the
mountain roads of China, learning about
camping and cooking in the outdoors
and enjoying a livestream of starry skies,
sunsets and sunrises hosted by The Nomad
Hotel’s local outdoor guide.
As China recovers from the disruptions of
the Coronavirus, being one of the nations
that was hardest hit Nickel Lui, General
Manager of MINI said the company
wanted to inspire its fans and owners of
MINI during these times of hardship. He
said, “even if we can’t go out for a road trip
physically, we can still enjoy the beauty of
nature virtually.”
MINI stands out for its strong sense
of purpose, flexibility and adaptability.
The campaign checks off a lot of boxes
to be considered for an award in the
areas of online brand marketing, social
responsibility and keeping customers
engaged.
Watching the video and footage produced
by MINI, the tone and camera angles
puts the viewer in the driver’s seat and
the views are eye level, transforming the
audience into the driver and guide and
creating a real feeling of being at the
scene. The story is told in first person
which allows the viewer to connect with
the experience of the narrator. I would
compare this to the view you would see in
a race car video game.
The guide was able to review the specs
of the MINI together with the audience
bringing to reality otherwise intangible
aspects like comfort of the seats and leg
room. The Nomad Hotel by MINI was
cleverly tied into the experience of the car.
How well are our
brands able to live
up to their purpose
in difficult times?
We often talk about
brand purpose and
have it written down
on strategy docu-
ments, but we need
to evaluate how well
we are able to live it
out in the real world.
12
MAL35/20 ISSUE
We need to grow brands that have a tru-
ly disruptive character that will remain
top of mind in any given situation and
at any given time. As we already have re-
alized, things will always not be normal,
our brands need to be among those that
can deliver the experiences our custom-
ers truly love at all times.
The near 5-star experience while camping
and of being able to pack up your shower
and toilet on top of your car is something
the viewers loved.
It was an easy way of driving awareness
and sales using experiential play giving
audiences and customers a glimpse of the
outdoors, while connecting with them
emotionally and psychologically. The
idea was to create a sense of satisfaction
that life will return to normal even after
quarantine.
The clips of the sunsets were so real with
close-up shots of the rays on the skin of
the drivers and natural light inside the
car when the rooftops were lifted during
the drive. MINI was able to create an
unforgettable emotional connection with
customers, literally and practically by
keeping their promise of being with them
wherever they may go.
There are several reflections that we can
gather from the campaign by MINI. First
and foremost, how well are our brands
able to live up to their purpose in difficult
times? We often talk about brand purpose
and have it written down on strategy
documents, but we need to evaluate how
well we are able to live it out in the real
world. MINI says they will go with their
customers wherever they may go, and they
did. They took them to the mountains,
when their customers least expected them
to show up in their situation.
We need to grow brands that have a truly
disruptive character that will remain top
of mind in any given situation and at any
given time. As we already have realized,
things will always not be normal, our
brands need to be among those that can
deliver the experiences our customers
truly love at all times. Most brands have
sent communication to customers about
their commitments to contain the spread
of COVID-19, but few have shown real
grit that they can capture and keep the
attention of their customers and fans in
times of a crisis.
Insurance companies for example
announced that they will not cover
patients who are found infected with
Corona. While this is understandable, due
to the magnitude and scale of the problem,
a suggestion to show their concern for
their clients may have been made through
a financial donation to the government
towards helping to contain the spread of
the virus. Most of the premiums collected
are towards healthcare insurance.
Completely stepping out of the situation
is a lost opportunity to connect and secure
the confidence of customers in the long
term. In times of a crisis, your customers
should be confident that you will be with
them, and that they will want to hear
from you. When the rain clouds pass, will
you still need your customers to tune-in
to your messages and connect with you
again? We must therefore build brands
that are truly flexible and live up to our
customers’ situations and fit for purpose.
Secondly, we often talk about online
marketing and digital campaigns being
innovative, relevant and timely. These
campaigns are often meant to increase
engagement, sales and awareness, and in
the absence of that, the focus then shifts
to creating an emotional connection with
our customers.
The learning here is that we need to be
able to roll-out digital campaigns that
can stand on their own and deliver a full
360 experience for our customers and not
just support on-ground activities, in-store
experiences, experiential activations and
out of home activities.
MINI was not able to do any OOH and
on ground activities to promote their
online campaign but still made the bold