MINI Worried About Being Perceived as a Girlie Brand in China,80% of Owners are Women

Discussion in 'MINI' started by Nathan, Jul 2, 2014.

  1. Nathan

    Nathan Founder

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    Almost 80 percent of Mini owners in China are women, the highest level among any car brand, according to estimates from J.D. Power & Associates. BMW is reportedly worried about this and is trying to lure more male buyers, with recent actions including an all-Mini road trip to Tibet and the addition of a pool table in Mini’s Shanghai showroom.
    “You don’t want to tip into being a girlie car. Not only do you alienate the men, you actually alienate a lot of women, because a lot of women won’t want to buy a feminine brand,†Sean Green, head of Mini’s China business, told Detroit News.

    China is the fourth-largest market for Mini after the United States, United Kingdom and Germany, with Mini being a rival for Daimler AG’s Smart brand, the Fiat 500 and VW Beetle.

    Mini deliveries have risen 18 percent in China in the first five months of the year, surpassing the 11 percent growth in the overall passenger-vehicle market. Despite the fact that the Mini hatch starts at 205,000 yuan ($33,000), the brand sold 11,440 vehicles in China through May, outselling both the Smart and Fiat 500.

    So what is Mini doing to convince men to give the brand a chance? Well, the company is being “overtly masculine in some of the communication style,†according to Green. Examples include the introduction of the John Cooper Works high-performance version in China in June 2013 and a documentary about a convoy of Mini cars crossing China’s most rugged and remote terrain through Tibet to the foot of Mount Everest.

    Source - MINI Worried About Being Perceived as a Girlie Brand in China, as 80% of Owners are Women - Carscoops
     
  2. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    Because bumper......:p
     
  3. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    Well MINI keep making the same (RSBMW) car and only girls without a clue will be the only ones buying them.

    It would also help if the car did not look like a retarded Hello Kitty car.
     
  4. TheModFather

    TheModFather Well-Known Member

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    There was a special pink listed in the master MINI color code book I was using... Along with a few concept colors that never made production... Maybe they will bring the pink back if they keep it up! :)
     
  5. rkw

    rkw Well-Known Member

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    Generally, MINI have been very careful to avoid a girly perception. For example, all of their marketing material never show a woman driving a MINI. They've been remarkably successful at convincing men to buy a small, cute car.

    Look at the work by the ad agency Taxi for MINI Canada.

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    Whoever ran the marketing in China missed the mark.
     
  6. Zapski

    Zapski Well-Known Member

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    I thought the Chinese were buying the Lian.

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  7. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    Nope... Nope... Nope.... Not girlie enough...:frown2:
     
  8. Dave.0

    Dave.0 Helix & RMW Powered
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    Maybe this is what your looking for: (Puke) :frown2:

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  9. Stefanie

    Stefanie Well-Known Member

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    I'm sorry, but pink NEVER looks good on a car. Ever. Every time I see a chick driving a hot pink car, the ugliness of it seriously makes me sad. And I have nothing against pink in general. :ihih:
     
  10. Metalman

    Metalman Well-Known Member
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    That's gotta be a color match to Pepto Bismol...... yuck
     
  11. wmwny

    wmwny Well-Known Member

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    So, the Chinese gals are driving MINIs, and the Chinese guys are driving...rickshaws? :devil:
     
  12. buttonbag

    buttonbag Active Member

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    It's time to start filming Italian Job 2.
     
  13. Zapski

    Zapski Well-Known Member

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    With Lians?
     

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