For anyone who didn’t see the video on Friday – our very own Michelle was displayed on a cutting-edge Mini ‘Art Beat’, a Countryman covered in 48000 LEDs to show videos and animations onto the streets of London. The Mini Art Beat project is a very cool concept – the Mini is streamed live around the clock on the web, and anyone can upload an image or video to be displayed alongside their message.
It made us wonder why Mini have gone to all this expense and trouble – this sort of campaign would be perfect for building a viral buzz around a brand or product no-one had ever heard of, but everyone knows Mini. Why have such expensive marketing campaigns when everyone already knows you?
The answer, of course, is that marketing isn’t purely for getting your name out there. Marketing also cements your name in people’s minds, as well as showing off your brand personality. The entire Art Beat project is very ‘Mini’ – keeping their swinging 60s London chic despite now being made by a German company. Without projects and campaigns like this it would probably be easy for some people to dismiss the new mini as a slightly less nice looking rip-off of the iconic 60s design that evokes such fondness in so many people, however BMW seem determined to show the new Mini as an update – cut very much from the same cloth, but redesigned for the 21st Century user. It seems to be working, I seem to see more and more new Minis on the road every day. This has got to be in large part thanks to campaigns that show the new Mini to be as cool and trendy as the classic.
So what does that mean for you? Whatever stage you are at in your business, marketing is important. It builds brand awareness in people who haven’t heard of you, and could potentially be new customers. It cements your reputation with people who have heard of you. It builds loyalty amongst your current customer base. You want your customers to become advocates of your brand, whether it’s because of the image you create (like Mini), or the excellent service you provide. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: everything you do impacts your brand. Make sure it’s all good. We know that very few people can afford to cover their car in tens of thousands of lights and drive it around, but even a simple mailshot or photo op done well can show exactly who you are and what you believe in as a business.
