Mini

Mini Marketing Report

1.0 Aims and Objectives

The overall aim of this report will be to consider how the Mini brand can create a greater level of engagement between the brand and its actual and potential consumers. In order to achieve this aim the following objectives have been set:

* To conduct primary research into consumer perceptions and desires of the Mini brand.

* To conduct secondary research into the environmental factors which may have an impact upon the Mini brand.

* To recommend a course of action for the Mini brand to create greater levels of engagement in the future.

2.0 Introduction

The original Mini brand goes back to 1969 when the cars sold under the same name were given the distinctive Mini brand leading on from the original Austin and Morris branded versions. This was also the year that the car would feature in the 1969 film “the Italian job” which has helped to make the car not only a practical vehicle but also a fashion and style icon (Auto Evolution, 2012). Today, the brand is somewhat different, owned by the German automotive manufacturer BMW. Despite the fact that today’s models of the Mini bear little relation to the original car, BMW has seen enough brand equity (Jobber, 2007) in the historic value of the brand to have effectively re-launched the brand preserving a classic icon of the 20th century into the 21st century. Since the re-launch of the brand in 2001, over 1,000,000 “new” Minis have been produced and the brand is one of the true successes of the automotive industry. In this case, the brand is distinctively aimed at a younger consumer audience which is especially appealing to the female car buying segment. In addition to offering a high performance motoring experience backed up by BMW technology, the brand aims to target a fashion conscious consumer providing not only a way to get from A to B but also a way to look good and perhaps capture some of the retro appeal of a bygone era.

Having seen...