Mini flies high

"We wanted to hit the whole country with the MINI experience", says MINI communications manager Roger Fitzsimons, "and the usual car ads in car magazines just weren't going to cut it. A brand like MINI deserves much, much more."

MINI's Ad Agency, King James JHB and Media Activation Agency, Amplify, were up for the challenge.

Based on the criteria of national reach, limited budget, high impact, and a new idea, Amplify found a solution: a brand new site c/o Wide Open, that had the potential to be more than just another outdoor site. A site that could be an experience - the aforementioned airport walkway and travelator - almost a full kilometre of uninterrupted advertising - with a captive audience of 1.3 million high flyers per month from every part of South Africa.

The ball was passed to King James JHB to find a way of creating a memorable experience. "Usually our biggest gripe is not having enough space" says King James JHB creative director Eoin Welsh. "This was certainly a first - our biggest worry was that there was too much space!" So instead of just branding, King James JHB decided to tell a story - and in true, cheeky MINI fashion, have a little dig at flying as compared to the experience of driving a MINI.

An additional amplification element was conceived that would further connect with the public. Based on the creative idea of the travelator, King James JHB commissioned Amplify to implement an industrial theatre piece - an 'out of work' busking pilot was positioned in the high traffic 2nd level of Joburg airport carpark, at the paystations. The musician's task, whilst dressed to look like a real pilot, was to 'busk' for spare change by playing his guitar. Signage, designed in keeping with the MINI corporate identity, requested consumers to spare a coin for the 'poor soul'.

A word on production of the massive travelator site: approximately 950 running metres of specially-prepared vinyl were used. "Size aside, two things made it seriously tricky," says Wide Open production manager. "First, we could only get the travelators switched off at 10 at night, so we had to work into the wee hours. And secondly, as with any first, we were learning as we went. But we got the job done, and seeing it all up is its own reward."

The final word comes from Diana Barrett, General Manager of MINI South Africa. "MINI is a brand that has become an icon by being cutting edge throughout its history - doing things its own way. So everything we do - from creative ideas to media strategy - needs to be true to that. This campaign demonstrates our commitment to this principal through the size, stature and uniqueness of the experience, the ground-breaking nature of the media choice and creative, and perhaps most importantly - the delivery of a powerful, fun experience for South Africans from all walks of life."