MotoringFile MINI Planning more “Not Normal†Marketing

Well if they keep making bigger and uglier cars that won't me a hard sell.

Because the new pictures of the 3rd gen look NOT Normal.

 

^^^ :yesnod:

 

I'm hating these new Not Normal ads. I feel like the cars are less enthusiast oriented and more of this urban-hipstery crowd that just isn't what I feel Mini is. Let the Kia Soul and Nissan Cube fill this role of "funky" looking cars with nothing special underneath. This isn't the path Mini should be taking in my eyes, but I guess its selling well.

I always looked at my R53 as a relatively affordable track car, but maybe I'm disillusioned.

 

I agree that the cars have become less enthusiast oriented, but MINI has always, from the very beginning, heavily promoted itself as a hip urban car. The Not Normal campaign is hardly distinguishable from others in the past.

The ironic thing is, every year MINI buyers become more normal and less hip because those are the only kind of people who can afford them now.

 

I have to admit, I didn't start paying attention to the ads until I got mine 3 months ago. :biggrin5:

 

To check out promotion of hipsterism, look at the MINI Space website and MINI International magazine. Both are creations of MINI corporate and have been around for years. They are Euro centric and not well known to Americans. They focus on art, design and lifestyle, and mostly of little interest to gear head enthusiasts. Like it or not, this is part of the tradition of the MINI brand.

http://www.minispace.com/
http://www.minispace.com/en_us/magazine/archive/

 

But look at Subaru. It's ads and the bulk of it's cars are aimed at tree huggers (I like trees, I just don't hug them). That funds fun stuff for the minority like the WRX, STI, and BRZ.

So if MINI has to make some boring stuff for the masses or hipsters so they fund the fun the fun stuff for the rest of us, so be it.

 

Latest new car demographics have the 40 and 50 year olds buying the most. The 20 somethings don't have jobs or money.