Here we are on the cutting edge of marketing; web episodes for a car brand. If the idea feels familiar, it is – think BMW’s “The Hire” series from about 3 years ago. But wait these are for the Mini Cooper, owned by BMW. Now this edge is so sharp, I’m bleeding.
Before the keyboard gets too sticky, a couple of other things to note. “The Hire” series for all its disconnection from real sales figures at least indicated an understanding of the target audience; male, young, affluent and dying to be hip.

The “new” Mini “Hammer and Coop” series is as disconnected from the brand’s target and current trends as it will be from positive sales figures. Parodies of ’70s and ’80s TV shows are old news, showing up in mainstream media for the last four years. Similarly well-done parodies of “Knight Rider” have been SNL (and competitors) fare for years.

Not every marketer can be expected to keep up with the latest trends, but they should know how to define a target and position a product. So what were they thinking here? Really hard to tell - is it a fast car? Well it can outrace a beat up pickup truck. Is it a stylish car? It looks like a Mini, no comparison to the Stealth styling of KITT or Starsky and Hutch’s Grand Torino.

This stuff damages brands. The Mini Cooper has a completely unique form distinguishing it and its owners. Now that key benefit is buried in a mudslide of poor parody and bad marketing. Do people who drive Mini’s feel great when they see this? Does it make new car shoppers pull into a Dealership? At least “The Hire” series enshrined the BMW in an aura of cool, this just leaves with that same old “so-old” feeling.

Kathy Sharpe, CEO

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