Whatever you think about the looks of the new Mini Coupe "Your baseball cap's on backwards!" etc, you have to admit the advertising campaign's been a lot of fun. The latest chapter adds to the general silliness with a float featuring astronauts and a 30-foot rocket in the New York City Village Halloween Parade. Can you guess what the music will be?
The tag line for the Mini Coupe, “Hold On.” is the inspiration for the New York City activities, and ties to the vehicle’s performance and sporty nature. “What better way to launch the fastest Mini yet than attach it to a rocket, in the greatest city during one of Mini's favorite holidays? The all-new Mini Coupe is all about performance that forces you to Hold On!” said Tom Salkowsky, Manager of Mini's USA Marketing, in a quote that probably took hours of preparation.
The rocket IS pretty darned impressive and will be on display through Tuesday, November 1, at 14th Street and 9th Avenue in New York City’s trendy Meatpacking district. In addition to the rocket, there will be four brand ambassadors dressed in space suits greeting pedestrians and passing out MINI-branded space (freeze-dried) ice cream, Coupe “Prepare for Launch” buttons and additional vehicle information. Hey, it ain't over 'til it's over-done, right?
The iconic Village Halloween Parade, which anticipates 80,000 participants, will take place just a few blocks away from the rocket display, on Monday evening, October 31st, of course. Mini USA will have two Coupes in the parade, accompanied by the astronauts and Mini team members to hand out goodies ( ‘space’ ice cream and buttons) to some of the 2 million spectators. The parade will follow a route on 6th Avenue, from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., and run from Spring Street to 16th Street. If the rest of the parade is as silly as this — and you can bet it is — it should be worth watching. If you can't get there, it's bound to be on television. —Paul Duchene
