Some brands remain as iconic on billboards as they do on the shelves – or in this case, on the road! – and it’s hard to find a better example of this than MINI. The car has never shied away from the weird, wonderful and cheeky when it comes to campaigns, always choosing individuality over safe bets. The result is an amazing archive of creativity, with many MINI classics showcasing both the car and the creative spirit of an era.
It was the swinging 1960s that really defined MINI – or back then, ‘Mini’ – as a “can do” car with creative leanings. A favourite of both The Beatles and Mary Quant, the Classic Mini quickly became a British darling, which was reflected in its bold (and often cheeky) campaigns. Women were a large focus of the 1960s and 1970s Classic Mini campaigns, both on billboards and in the driver’s seats. Print ads included short stories which often featured leggy drivers encouraging us to “Meet a new Mini. Try a second honeymoon”. When Mary Quant launched the mini skirt in 1965, MINI also launched a campaign citing “Top models. And why they wear Minis” – alluding – of course – to the car, not the skirt.
In 2001, MINI re-launched its vehicle with a wave of new creative. Like the new car, the ensuing campaigns were modern and sleek – but still true to MINI’s motoring roots. MINI continued the play on words that defined its 1960s campaigns by calling out “Let’s MINI” to the world and encouraging drivers to ‘set trends, not follow them’.
Jumping to the present day and MINI’s creative styling is still strong. To celebrate its 50th birthday, MINI worked with 10 Swiss artists to customize 10 vehicles as part of the MINI ‘WashMe’ project. The cars were coated in paint, camouflaged and cartooned in the style of each artist. In addition, the latest ’50 years of MINI’ campaign includes 60s style photographs that feature turtle neck sweaters, colour TVs and other historical (and slightly tongue-in-cheek) icons alongside the always iconic, MINI.
Want to watch the latest campaigns? Watch MINI on YouTube here. Recent uploads include a customised car by KRINK and the MINI WashMe project.