Last year BMW produced a standout commercial for the Super Bowl that resonated with viewers. Their "Newfangled Idea" ad featured Katie Couric and Bryant Gumbal and was recently ranked by USA Today as the #31 best Super Bowl commercial ever. This year BMW will not have a commercial, but Mini will, and they are looking to change your opinion on more than just a car.
As more than 100 million viewers around the world prepare to tune into the big game on February 7, Mini USA is unveiling its star-studded 30-second spot today, set to air in the third quarter of the year’s biggest night in television advertising.
The ad, created by Butler, Shine, Stern & Partners (BSSP), embraces many of the labels the brand has experienced over the years with a very powerful message: it doesn’t care what you call it. “Defy Labels,” has its roots in the fact that everyone and everything is labeled but how you handle those labels is what matters. With defiance at its core, the campaign inspires people to shed the labels society has placed upon them and instead define themselves.
“Ever since the first Mini was built in 1959, it has been labeled as one thing or another. It’s small. It’s cute,” said Tom Noble, department head, Mini Brand Communications. “This campaign acknowledges those labels in a very authentic way while simultaneously showing people Mini is more than that. With the launch of the new Clubman, our brand is growing up, our products are more sophisticated, and its time to reset the conversation.”
The brand worked with an ensemble cast of athletes and celebrities to help start that conversation. Staying true to the nature of the campaign, Mini wanted to include personalities that had a relationship to the brand and could also speak authentically about the topic of overcoming labels. The spot includes Serena Williams, Abby Wambach, T-Pain, Randy Johnson, Tony Hawk, and Harvey Keitel. Each also filmed a series of long-form interviews sharing their own perspectives about labels that are available on the campaign microsite at MINIUSA.com/defylabels.
“This powerful concept leverages the brand’s new sophisticated positioning, with a little bit of the Mini attitude that’s always been there,” said John Butler, chief creative officer, BSSP. “It goes beyond a typical celebrity endorsement. This creative is all about not letting others define you, or for that matter, what you choose to drive. It’s about never giving others that power over you."
The most powerful ads in this campaign are the ones featuring women's sports stars. Women athletes have historically been given labels that are very degrading—to the point where even saying "Like a girl" has become an insult. In Abby Wambach's interview, you can see in her eyes and the tone in her voice how she feels about the labels that have been put on her.
In addition to the celebrities and athletes listed above, the “Defy Labels” advertisement will feature non-celebrity Miniowners and members of the Mini John Cooper Works racing team, who also choose to be a bit different and break convention. The campaign will continue to rollout on television and across digital and social platforms over the next few months to support the launch of the all-new Mini Clubman.
Head on over to their microsite at www.miniusa.com/defylabels to see more.—Nate Risch
