Iris > Case Studies > MINI Grand Tour: An Influencer-Led Marketing Strategy for the Clubman Road Trip

MINI Grand Tour: An Influencer-Led Marketing Strategy for the Clubman Road Trip

Technology Category

Sensors - Autonomous Driving Sensors

Applicable Industries

Automotive

Applicable Functions

Sales & Marketing

Use Cases

Smart Parking
Vehicle-to-Infrastructure

About The Customer

The customer in this case study is MINI, a renowned automobile manufacturer known for its compact and stylish cars. The company was looking to market its newest car, the Clubman, and position it as a generously-sized city car for modern men. The target audience for this campaign was identified as individuals with a passion for travel, and the marketing strategy was designed to resonate with this demographic. The campaign was to be executed on a limited budget, making it crucial for MINI to come up with a creative and cost-effective solution.

The Challenge

MINI was faced with the challenge of raising awareness around its newest car, the Clubman, and positioning it as a generously-sized city car for modern men. The task was to be accomplished on a limited budget, with the backdrop of significant media interest in Europe. The company needed to come up with a creative and cost-effective strategy that would resonate with their target audience, who were identified as having a key passion for travel.

The Solution

MINI decided to leverage the power of influencer marketing to meet their challenge. They identified and approached Jonathan Thompson, the Travel Writer of the Year 2015, and challenged him to travel across Europe's 28 countries in one calendar month in the MINI Clubman. The 10,000-mile journey was used to create engaging lifestyle content on a daily and weekly basis, which was shared through social media and an editorial partnership with The Telegraph. The content naturally integrated the MINI Clubman into a lifestyle setting and drove traffic to MINI's website. Additionally, MINI formed smart partnerships with start-up adventure specialists, The Flash Pack, A Ferry, and Three Mobile to curate an interesting pan-Europe itinerary on a budget.

Operational Impact

The influencer-led marketing strategy proved to be a successful solution for MINI. The campaign not only raised awareness about the Clubman but also positioned it as a desirable city car for modern men. The engaging lifestyle content created by the influencer resonated with the target audience, driving traffic to MINI's website and increasing their social media following. The smart partnerships formed with start-up adventure specialists, The Flash Pack, A Ferry, and Three Mobile, allowed MINI to curate an interesting pan-Europe itinerary on a budget, further enhancing the appeal of the campaign. The campaign also resulted in significant media coverage, further amplifying its reach and impact.

Quantitative Benefit

Over 100 images and 10 videos were created for both MINI’s social and the on-the-ground team’s channels.
7 online and 5 print pieces of earned media coverage with The Telegraph and Metro.
3 features in ‘Telegraph Top 5’ (to achieve this an article must have over 50,000 views).