Mini recently unveiled its next-generation F66 Cooper and though I am already a Mini fanboy, when the latest Mini ad campaign came up on my Instagram feed, it genuinely excited me. Car ads used to be funny, irreverent, and bold, but modern car ads seem to have migrated into the realm of serious, stodgy and boring; thankfully Mini is changing that.
Take the four OEM Super Bowl ads that aired this weekend for example; They were… fine. Volkswagen revisited its history in the U.S., BMW used Christopher Walken and randomly mentioned the new i5, Toyota did a cute job of bringing humor with its Tacoma grab handle campaign, and Kia tried to make you cry. Mini’s latest ad campaign is full of bright colors, fun music, and model-esque people laughing and loving in their Mini. I think it’s just what the industry needs right now.
Mini came back to the U.S. market back in 2002, and brought with it an infusion of fun, chicness, style, and a cheeky demeanor that made it a total industry sweetheart. As the modern automotive industry continues to churn out bigger and heavier and more expensive cars than ever before, Mini is bringing back that Y2K exuberance with this ad campaign.
When I first saw Mini’s latest ads, I immediately thought about vintage Steve Madden ads where models were turned into pop art with exaggerated features and trippy visuals. Throw in the iconic early ’90s dance bop “Pump Up The Jam” by Technotronic, impeccably styled, beautiful and diverse models who are laughing and having a blast with their Mini, and playful fisheye lens cinematography and photography and you’ve got the perfect Mini ad.
In contrast to Mini’s colorful, whimsical, fun-filled ad campaign, you have ads like Buick’s. Buick has faced an identity crisis since its last successes in the ’90s, but I think modern Buicks are becoming pretty compelling cars. Unfortunately, Buick’s ad campaigns don’t do the brand justice. Buick commercials are incredibly dull and mundane, talking about its cars practicality and liveability, but where’s the fun? Where’s the desirability? I want to see people laughing and having fun, not people running errands.
Remember when Kia Souls were driven by breakdancing hamsters? Or when Volkswagen went avant garde with New Beetle ads? Mini only just unveiled the F66 Cooper and this Mini fanboy is sold thanks to efforts to make the car look trendy, funky, desirable, and straight up fun. There aren’t many new cars I could seriously see myself falling in love with, but the new Mini might have stolen my heart.