INVESTIGATE
MINI had little history of brand awareness in Canada. Most people remembered it as a quirky, cute, and somewhat unsafe compact car. Small cars run the risk of being considered "cute" and therefore a "chick car" that guys won't go near.

INSIGHT
To make sure the MINI didn't fall into the "trendy car" trap of spike and decline or a restricted female-skewed fan base, we had to position it for the long term as a car with substance and character. We coined the phrase "FLIP" to identify these attributes: Fun, Legacy (racing), Individuality, and Performance.

IDEA
The launch campaign played on male love for the underdog. We introduced MINI as the little car with a big, ballsy attitude.

IMPACT
The campaign was so successful that all 500 Launch Edition vehicles were pre-sold online – that means 40% of the 2002 sales target was achieved before the cars even hit the showroom floor. Plus, the fact that 75% of buyers were male meant the creative was perfectly geared towards a sustainable target audience.