MINI New Zealand’s Night Test Drives promotion started off innocently enough, offering customers the chance to test drive its latest models on the open road at a time when there was likely to be less traffic and other distractions around.
However the marketing campaign hit the headlines back in November when it’s first full page newspaper ad depicting highway patrol constable J. Miller receiving a lap dance – the context being that while the Police are off the streets then drivers could enjoy testing out a new MINI without fear of catching a speeding ticket.
Whether it was the insinuation that Police officers were visiting lap dancing clubs on their night off, or that MINI were encouraging drivers to behave irresponsibly we cannot confirm, however in MINI’s latest two adverts the saucy lap dancer has disappeared and been replaced with the more responsible scenarios of cyclists and caravaners – with the strap line, ‘Drive when no one’s around’.
One aspect we admire about MINI is their willingness to take risks with their brand, but whilst this MINI NZ campaign started off a bit risqué our favourite MINI moment of the year is still the MINI vs Porsche Challenge which had us in stitches for over a month..
MINI vs PORSCHE:
| MINI vs Porsche – The Challenge | The official video |
| MINI vs Porsche – The Response from Porsche | MINI USA president Jim McDowell ridicules his opposite number at Porsche. |
| MINi Rocky IV | Funny-of-Die’s parody of the preparations. |
| Dear MINI | Hyundai steps in to take Porsche’s place. |
| MINI vs Porsche – The Race | MINI races Porsche in their absence. The End. |
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The judges declined to award a winner for the October Ad of the Month,
presumably because they were too busy booking late night test drives
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