Mini Cooper Goes Guerilla

When we started discussing guerilla and viral marketing last class I was clueless. I've never heard of such a thing. Maybe I'm living under a rock, but this, like much of the other material in class, is new stuff to me.

I was a little confused at first as to the difference these two marketing techniques have both from one another and from more conventional marketing techniques. So I did what most people do when you don't understand something, I Googled it.

I found a ton of awesome ideas that were creative, original, and even funny. Through my Google search I kept coming across guerilla ads for the Mini Cooper.

Since the guerilla campaigns for the Mini Cooper kept catching my eye, I decided to check out the MINI website to find out a bit more about them and their philosophy. The MINI line of cars is dedicated toward global minimalism. Their vehicles are supposed to be Green friendly, fun, sporty, agile, and spacious despite their outwardly small appearance.

Through their guerilla ads I feel that MINI did an unbelievable job in getting their minimalistic approach toward technology and transportaion across in a delightful fashion.

Here are a few examples of the MINI guerilla ads that I found at: http://inventorspot.com/articles/mini_cooper_no_small_advertising_6530

This ad was placed above urinals in the men's restroom of MINI retailers throughout Canada. It's hard to see the image closely, but above the urinal is a picture of a MINI Cooper convertible that says to "Test Your Handling Skills." Below the picture is the urinal with little orange cones to mimic a little driving test. I thought this was pretty funny and clever.

Again, the MINI guerilla ad above is illustrating the the MINI Cooper's handling ability. This one was put up in airport terminls. You can see the posters depicting orange cones with the MINI logo, and then the tire mark on the floor as though a MINI Cooper had just whipped on through the airport terminal. This ad actually made me think of Matt Damon driving the MINI Jeff Gordon style in the Bourne Identity.

In this image above MINI has placed a MINI Cooper at the top of a subway station. The open door says "SIZE". It makes it appear that large groups of people are getting in and out of the car. This guerilla technique is trying to show how roomy the interior of a MINI Cooper actually is.

The SUV says "What are you doing for fun this weekend?" with a MINI logo. The MINI Cooper has been placed on top of the SUV as though it's a canoe, bike, etc. This is a funny way for MINI to convey the excitement and fun that is part of the MINI Cooper package.

This last image is another example of a guerilla tactic used by MINI. I found this image at: http://www.funnymos.com/page/4

This is another one that illustrates the agility and fun of the MINI Cooper. The use of white arrows painted on several streets shows how the the MINI can handle tight turns.

What I discovered in my Google quest was what guerilla marketing entails. Basically guerilla marketing enlists unconventional ways to promote a product or service by investing in creativity, originality, and time/energy. Generally this methodoligy is conducted in unexpected locations and ways in order to make the product memorable and create a buzz.

I think MINI illustrates the guerilla approach to marketing well. They got pretty creative in showing what the MINI Cooper is all about. They used these guerilla tactics to tie into the MINI philosophy of minimilism. MINI seemed to really rely on creativity and unexpected places (men's restrooms, subways, the streets, and airport terminals) to show that their cars are exciting, drive well, and are spacious. The unconventional methods they used make their car stand out from others.