Making MINI part of one of the world’s largest fandom communities

Challenge

MINI is a well known cultural icon from the past, but was growing distant from the pop culture of today, and losing cultural relevance. Its iconic status was ageing with the population. The brand needed a way back into mainstream cultural conversation, especially amongst younger people.

Solution

The playfulness of the MINI brand is perfect for a pop culture collaboration. We identified the partners that would amplify the personality of the brand, but also bring it to life at scale. 

Then we negotiated and activated two major strategic partnerships. The first: a product collaboration with the world’s highest-grossing media franchise: Pokémon! And the second: a partnership with Gamescom, the largest fandom festival in Europe!

Working closely with the MINI design team, we created a unique Pikachu-themed car, which launched at the opening show of the festival. The concept car with all its nerdy features, like an integrated gaming mode, was staged in giant toy packaging.

Results

The packaging was photographed over 100,000 times and generated over 800 million impressions in only a few days. We received immediate orders for the limited edition. More importantly, conversations about the brand exploded across the community. MINI was again a topic of cultural conversation at scale.