Mini 'Corners' advert rejects usual car cliches

By IRENE CHAPPLE

Auckland agency Colenso BBDO has rejected car advertising cliches in a campaign that could soon be seen throughout Europe.

The Mini "Corner" campaign takes the view of the driver, marking corners out of 10.

The campaign was launched on television last week and can be seen on billboards in Auckland and Wellington.

It has also - in a first for a New Zealand agency - been put into Mini's elite international pool of the brand's best creative. That pool of creative can be dipped into and run in other international markets.

The idea behind "Corners" is to put the viewer in the driver's seat, says creative director Toby Talbot.

The agency rented billboard space on corners, then gave a mark based on how much fun the corner was to drive.

"Minis have a long history of the enjoyment of driving," says Talbot. "It's all about the joy of the motoring and part of the joy is how they corner."

Talbot says the campaign is intended to be interactive. So, unusually, the advertisements don't feature the car.

"Usually [in car advertisements] there are lots of loving three-quarter close ups of the body and engine ... It is so cliched and traditional."

The Mini logo pops up at the end of the television commercial and that image, says Talbot, is enough to carry the brand.

The advertising is credited with pushing unit sales up 42 per cent for the first two months of the year, compared with the same time last year.

Colenso won the Mini work late last year off Generator Bates after a four-way competitive pitch.

It is now the brand's New Zealand agency but can also - as one of the brand's international "A-list" agencies - pitch for global campaigns.