MINI Ad with Doughnuts
by Adrian Hanft, (3 comments)
MINI’s Wired magazine ad caught my attention for the third time last week. This month their ad included coupons for buy one dozen get one dozen free Krispy Kreme doughnuts. The last one I saw had a page of lettering stickers. The ad before that was perforated so it could be broken down to 9 trading cards. The cards (which reminded me of Garbage Pail Kids) matched a different personality with a different MINI car.
I think this is great advertising. It is interesting that this particular issue of Wired has an article all about how traditional advertising is failing (I am going to write about it when I get a chance). Along the lines of Seth Godin’s “Free Prize” theory, these ads show that you have to give something extra if you expect to make advertising work for you. Would I buy a MINI just to get free doughnuts? Of course not. But I also wouldn’t remember their ad if it was like all the other car ads.
Comments (3)
Kyle said:
I need to go look for that ad! I loved their previous ones. I also heard of another Mini ad where you construct a 3-D milk carton so that you would have an excuse to drive to the store…since you were now out of milk!
Posted on August 3, 2004
Bennett said:
I like this ad, but I don’t think it is as effective as some of the other ads that you mentioned. It seems the concepts were a little more connected to the brand of the Mini in the other ads. Of course, I can’t read the body copy in the ad on this page. Does the body copy tie it all together?
I think the stickers were more a reference to Rat Fink than Garbage Pail Kids. The late Ratfink is a huge name among hot rod buffs. Just google it and you will see. There is even a ratfink.org and ratfink.com.
Posted on August 4, 2004
Adrian said:
I am just a big fan of doughnuts, so I didn’t mind that it wasn’t brand related. For some reason Rat Fink has never crossed my radar. Now that I know what that is, it makes the reference in the ad all the better.
Posted on August 5, 2004