PressClub Canada · Article.
MINI “Defy Labels” Campaign.
Wed Feb 03 17:08:40 CET 2016 Press Release
MINI Declares Defiance In Star-Studded Super Bowl AD.
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Robert Dexter
BMW Group
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Woodcliff Lake, NJ – February 1, 2016… As more than 100 million viewers around the world prepare to tune into the big game on February 7, MINI USA is unveiling its star-studded 30-second spot today, set to air in the third quarter of the year’s biggest night in television advertising.
The ad, created by Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners (BSSP), embraces many of the labels the brand has experienced over the years with a very powerful message: it doesn’t care what you call it. “Defy Labels,” has its roots in the fact that everyone and everything is labeled but how you handle those labels is what matters. With defiance at its core, the campaign inspires people to shed the labels society has placed upon them and instead define themselves.
“Ever since the first Mini was built in 1959, it has been labeled as one thing or another. It’s small. It’s cute,” said Tom Noble, department head, MINI Brand Communications. “This campaign acknowledges those labels in a very authentic way while simultaneously showing people MINI is more than that. With the launch of the new Clubman, our brand is growing up, our products are more sophisticated, and it’s time to reset the conversation.”
The brand worked with an ensemble cast of athletes and celebrities to help start that conversation. Staying true to the nature of the campaign, MINI wanted to include personalities that had a relationship to the brand and could also speak authentically about the topic of overcoming labels. The spot includes Serena Williams, Abby Wambach, T-Pain, Randy Johnson, Tony Hawk, and Harvey Keitel. Each also filmed a series of long-form interviews sharing their own perspectives about labels that are available on the campaign microsite at MINIUSA.com/defylabels.
“This powerful concept leverages the brand’s new sophisticated positioning, with a little bit of the MINI attitude that’s always been there,” said John Butler, chief creative officer, BSSP. “It goes beyond a typical celebrity endorsement. This creative is all about not letting others define you, or for that matter, what you choose to drive. It’s about never giving others that power over you."
In addition to the celebrities and athletes listed above, the “Defy Labels” advertisement will feature non-celebrity MINI owners and members of the MINI John Cooper Works racing team, who also choose to be a bit different and break convention.
The campaign will continue to rollout on television and across digital and social platforms over the next few months to support the launch of the all-new MINI Clubman, which is on sale now at MINI dealerships throughout the U.S. and Canada.
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About MINI in the US
MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United
States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America,
LLC, located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and includes the marketing
and sales organizations for the MINI brand. The MINI USA sales
organization is represented in the U.S. through a network of 124 MINI
passenger car dealers in 39 states. MINI USA began selling vehicles in
the U.S. in 2002 with the introduction of the MINI Cooper and MINI
Cooper S Hardtops.
BMW Group in Canada
BMW Group Canada, based in Richmond Hill, Ontario, is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BMW AG and is responsible for the distribution of BMW luxury performance automobiles, Sports Activity Vehicles, Motorcycles, and MINI. BMW Group Financial Services Canada is a division of BMW Group Canada and offers retail financing and leasing programs and protection products on new and pre-owned BMW and MINI automobiles, as well as retail financing for new and pre-owned BMW Motorcycles. A total network of 46 BMW automobile retail centres, 20 BMW motorcycle retailers, and 30 MINI retailers represents the BMW Group across the country.
For more information, please contact:
Mariella Kapsaskis
MINI Communications Manager, BMW of North America
201.930.3166/ Mariella.Kapsaskis@miniusa.com
Barb Pitblado, Director, Corporate Communications
BMW Group Canada
416-305-1709 / barb.pitblado@bmwgroup.ca