Shiny Green Button

I  like what Mini is doing with its Carfun campaign. You can debate the true impact of carbon offsets or whether a company that peddles combustion engines should be touting sustainability, but purely from a communications standpoint, this campaign is on brand.

First, it’s about fun—you donate $30 to one of three organizations dedicated to sustainability, and Mini makes a matching donation to one of three organizations focused on fun (such as one that promotes bicycle safety among kids).

Second, it feels at home in the interactive/web-based experience that’s characteristic of Mini.

And third, it gives you something (you get a badge made of recycled materials for your donation). Mini likes to include interesting tchotchkes in their advertising (stickers, etc) and often sends owners whimsical or intriguing items.

I only wish Mini had an electric (or even fuel cell) car in the works. Given the cachet of the Mini brand, it could really up the cool/fun factor of cars that I suspect will largely be viewed as virtuous/utilitarian (I’m thinking of the Chevy Volt).

Tesla has a shot of doing this with the electric mid-sized sedan it has in the works, but Mini—though a niche brand—has more of a track record to work with.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009 at 3:25 pm and is filed under Advertising, Brands, Communications, Sustainability. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.