BSandS riding high in a Mini
If you read all the way to the bottom of this NY Times article on Butler Shine & Stern’s Mini Cooper account win, you will find this nugget.
Ms. Hardy and Mr. McDowell (Mini USA marketing execs) notified Butler, Shine’s employees that they won the review in a nontraditional way: A bulldog was sent into the agency’s office, wearing a collar decorated with clues to the decision written on replicas of California vanity license plates.
Some of the clues: “W8ZOVR,” for “Wait’s over”; “GR8JOB,” for “Great job”; and “RURED E,” for “Are you ready?” – to take on the account. The final mock license plate invited the agency’s employees to join the Mini USA executives at a nearby restaurant for a party.
“The dog was great,” Greg Stern, chief executive at Butler, Shine, said in a brief telephone call from the restaurant. “Very creative, and very surprising.”
After being left at the prom by the prettiest agency in class, it looks like Mini wants to prove they’re a fun client to work with.
Interesting–the Times article says Mini spends about $40 million a year on ads. Adweek and Ad Age both say it’s about a $25 million account. That’s a huge discrepancy. Is Mini planning to cut its future budget? Is focusing on Internet and non-traditional ad methods just less costly?