THESIS TOPIC: case anaylsis on the MINI! PLEASE COMMENT

[WELOVEMINI]

Hi everyone, I'm just looking for some feedback on a couple of things if you don't mind!!

I'm actually doing a case anaylsis on the Mini for my Final Year Project and I'm looking for a few small bits of information from people who are "Mini enthusiast's" such as yourselves!!

what I'm focusing on is : the Importance of Mini's heritage to the brand i.e looking back at the original Mini and where the key elements of the Brands image came from!!

then I'm looking at Mini today, and how the creative strategies (mainly advertising) are generating positive attitudes among consumers.... making people want to buy into the lifestyle associated with the Mini (Fun, Stylish, Trendy, Sporty etc)

then just looking overall at the impact those factors (heritage and creative strategies) have on consumers! will people actually buy Mini for those reasons or is it something else!!!


So I'd love to get some feedback on what most attracted you to buy the Mini! and do u think the background/ history of the car is an important factor to consider as well as your opinions on the companys creative advertising...

it really would be a great help to me, thanks so much!!!

[Dylan8660]

Brand, Branding, marketing, advertising, blah blah blah. Piss off and concentrate your life on something thats usefull, needed, wanted and doesn't dissapoint.

[WELOVEMINI]

why thanks so much for your support!!!

why feel the need to be-little what i'm interested in???????

very sorry to have upset you sooooooooo much that u felt the need to leave such a harsh comment.

i'm a 20 year old FINAL YEAR STUDENT! this happens to be an area i am interested in? all i'm lookin for is peoples opinions on Mini ....

its not exactly a big deal in my opinion?

but I DO APOLOGISE.

[DaveC]

Mainly it's the driving experience, and to an extent the history

[WELOVEMINI]

the driving experience seems to be a key element for many Mini owners?!!
would it be safe to say this may be of more importance to people who may have owned/ still own the traditional mini?

as in my opinion i think many of the people driving new minis today are not so much interested in the drive and more the look/image and style associations the brand carries?

could be very wrong on this!!

[madjackjr]

I have to agree with Dave. I have driven many different cars many of them far far more powerful but the Mini is my favourite to drive noting compares to it. Besides its the underdog like it won the Monte Carlo Rally 4 times in a row (well disqualified the third time because the French were fed up losing )

[WELOVEMINI]

the rallying success is a huge piece of the minis heritage alright! thanks for ur comment!

[madjackjr]

The driving experience is an important element but many people love the car but have never driven one you have to think of that too.
As for the new BMW Mini (Bini in Mini circles) I would agree that many, who drive it today, drive it for the image it carries. Now don't get me wrong as a car it brilliant, my sister in law has a cooper s and it’s a powerful little car a joy to drive. What really annoys classic Mini owners is the way BMW has taken the history and success of the classic and used it in a marketing ploy for what is a completely different car. It’s like putting a Ferrari badge on Mondeo and calling it Ferrari, get my point. Also BMW don't seem to care about the classic, putting many small classic parts suppliers out of business with copy right law suites.
It’s a big can of worms if you want to get into it
Good luck with the project
John

[Tony Cooney]

Hi WLM,

Thanks for giving us this opportunity.
Please don't feel the need to apologise for something that you have a keen interest in.
After all, its variety that makes life more enjoyable for all.

Way back in 1986, my first ever car of my own was a gorgeous little pale blue 1964 Mini 850
Truth be told, it was already a heap of junk when I bought it for £125 (in old money-punts!!), but boy was it such a cool car to have.
From its long wand gear stick to its leaking floor (NCT what...???), it had pure character through and through-true!

I had just left school and was now working in Dublin (seemed like a whole new world compared to rural Meath at the time!) and so had a few bob to be splashing about.
My immediate younger brother and sister soon saw my 'popularity' what with having a car and it wasn't long before I became their chauffeur
I remember one Friday evening coming out of Dublin, accompanied by my sister who had been 'allowed' go up to Dublin to shop with friends.
As is still the norm, traffic was bedlum coming out through Drumcondra and at one stage when I pulled up the handbrake, it and the part of the floor it was attached to ended up flailing about in my hand-just as well we had footbrakes as back up!

Another incident that I remember was taking 5 (we were all a lot smaller in those days....) pals from work out to a nightclub in Howth and then panicing on the summit descent as the car found it difficult to stop

That car eventually gave up the ghost one Saturday afternoon approaching Drogheda when the engine said enough is enough and promptly spluttered and hissed to a halt.
The replacement car, a Renault 18, seemed like such a luxury in comparision.

Anyhow, moving on 22 years to last November, I succumbed to my increasing yearning for another Mini (call it reliving my youth or whatever!) and bought my lovely little red 1979 Mini 1000.
Without revealing my innermost secrets, its love, lust and everything in between!!!!

I suppose, to sum up my experience of Minis, they are just pure characterful, individualistic pieces of motoring fun.

End of!!


Tony

[madjackjr]

I like the bit at the end Well said

[WELOVEMINI]

totally agree!!


what kind of Mini's do ye drive as a matter of interest?

my dad had an old green Mini when he was 17, absolutely loved it!! cost him 90£ in the early 70's!!

used to change the newspapers under the floor matts every Sunday where the water used to get in Haha!

[BlackSe7en]

I have never driven a BINI , but I do like the look of them, preferably the first version ( its closer to the Classic in looks).
I drive a 2000 Mini every day. I have had a Mini or variant since 1987. It is the driving experience and the whole Mini (not BINI) World that has helped me enjoy my time owning one.
Look at this forum and you will see members restoring shells and putting their own modifications to them. Even if they are not restoring, a lot of them are thinking of changing the wheels, arches, chrome bits or colour. They are all personalising their Mini.
When the BINI was launched, it was priced out of most peoples price range. You could personalise your BINI, but only by choosing one of the extra "Options" offered by BMW, eg. "The Chilli pepper pack" and some other ones. These were pre-packaged mods by BMW and you had to pay big money for them. If memory serves me correctly, you HAD to choose one, I don't think you could buy a basic BINI if you wanted to, the the purchase price was even greater than the advertised price.

The BINI is 8 years old now, yet you will be hard pushed to find one where the owner has modified it beyond the extra pack they purchased with it. On the other hand , as soon as someone buys their Mini they will have ideas in their head on how they will change it and personalise it.

When the BINI was first announced many Mini owners were going to buy one until they saw the price.

[WELOVEMINI]

its completely lost its "cheap" status it had in the 60's anyway ..... think it sold for 495 pound sterling when first launched!!

BMW know where to make their money!!

[woody]

It has to be the driving.
The Mini was built to transport an average working class family, its sporting pedigree was realised after and the cooper arrived two years later. Its heritage was built on its sucess as the sporting underdog at a time when the race cars weren't that different from the showroom cars.
The BINI was built for yuppies and has no sporting pedigree dispite a higher cost and power output.It puts a kink in the Mini heritage. 8 years on the wow factor has gone and the resession is here and there are a lot more BINIs for sale then Minis.
When BMW launched the BINI they removed its biggest compeditor ,the Mini.I've driven a BINI ,its a little different but then again every hot hatch is a little different. 20 years of Mini driving still puts a smile on my face.

[WELOVEMINI]

do you think the price of the BMW Mini may stop people actually buying them!? (not just because of the recession!)
but how BMW have turned what was an inexpensive everybodies car into a luxury/expensive car?

what does make/ has made people go out and spend the money on the new Minis??

[Billy]

do you think the price of the BMW Mini may stop people actually buying them!? (not just because of the recession!)
but how BMW have turned what was an inexpensive everybodies car into a luxury/expensive car?

what does make/ has made people go out and spend the money on the new Minis??

I get the feeling that there's 2 two types of BINI drivers, those that buy it cos it's a cool and trendy car for singles, and those who buy it cos they are into the car. The first type will generally come and go and buy the next trendy car when it comes out e.g. the new Fiat 500. The second type in my experience are usually caught up in a keeping-up-with-the-Jones mentality (I'm sure I'll be lambasted on this but here goes). Among BINI circles you can't have a MINI One, it's got to be a Cooper, and not just any Cooper, it's got to be a Cooper S, and not just any Cooper S, it's got to be the latest R56, and God help us, if you have a diesel, you must spend all your time justifying it. These cars aren't cheap. There's a new Cooper S on carzone for almost 50 grand!!!!!!!! So much for the inexpensive peoples' car.

In contrast, in the original Mini scene, it doesn't matter whether you have a race-spec 1430 or a bog standard 850. There's no snobbery, just a common interest in a great little car.

Billy

[Billy]

WLM,

You may also want to put your poll up on http://www.miniresource.com, another popular Irish-based forum for Mini enthusiasts.

Hope it helps,

Billy

[WELOVEMINI]

thanks for ur comments!!!

really appreciate the help!!

[WELOVEMINI]

in an article i found they describe new MINI drivers as " young (in attitude, if not in age), individualistic and unafraid of attention.... they enjoy driving and are normally sold as soon as they test drive the Mini, they are people who are not afraid to make decisions, and will listen to their emotional as well as their rational side when making them!"

any of you argee/ disagree with that statement....?? or is there anything you can add to it~!!


would you argee that when thinking of purchasing a MINI its more an "emotional" decision than thinking of the "functionality" of the car??

[kerryminigringo]

I think that BMW recongnised the importance of the mini brand when they bought Rover and to their credit kept building the mini long after it would have been killed off by Rover.No amount of marketing could buy the history that the mini has and they have traded on this very successfully.I have no problem with the BMW MINI and having driven a good number of them,I like the way they handle,a little on the harsh side for my kids and I like the look of the early ones,I think the latest are getting away from the look of the original but I believe they fall in the German brand of cars that are on offer to Irish customers,base models are vastly under specced,over priced and above average build quality and you pay through the nose for any type of extra.The original mini was originally marketed as a cheap mode of transport for the masses but at's demise it was more of a niche market for a cool classic car which was completely outdated by all other superminis.The BMW MINI was marketed from the word go as a cool lifestyle choice car and the cheap superminis were left to the likes of Ford/Opel etc.etc. I would say that during the celtic tiger years a fair few clever people tagged the price of a MINI onto the mortage as it was the accessory of choice,seen more as the latest Prada bag rather then a mode of transport.My feeling is that alot of these bought into the cool marketing of the mini but that they will also buy into the next cool craze,provided they have the money.It remains to be seen if the marketing and customer service has created enough customer loyalty to keep them coming back.I also believe that the MINI has fallen into the category of "chick car" and if you drive around and take note of the amount of male/female split,it is a landslide for the ladies.If you saw a fat bald middle aged man driving a MINI down the road given the preception of it being a chick car,you would think it,s his daughters car because his Avensis is in for a service and no amount of targeting male drivers with details of how fast the COOPER S will change the fact that it has fallen into the "chick car" category.The same could be said about the new bettle and probably the new Fiat 500 which in my humble opinion is the best of the relaunched classic,s.Well thanks my 2 cents worth anyway and good luck with the thesis.Let us know how you get on when you hand it in.

[WELOVEMINI]

BMW wont like to see you saying that....HAHA i know its sumthing they've tried to avoid with the MINI.... they said "while women are comfortable driving a guy car, men wince at the thought of being seen in a CHICK-MOBILE..." (note the rise and fall of the new Bettle- as more women chose the BUG, fewer and fewer Men did!!!

I dont see the new MINI as a "chick-mobile" you can definitly have that way if you wish, but with the racing heritage etc....its never just going to be a "girly" car!!!???

[keith]

The "MINI" never was a utilitarian transport vehicle like the "mini" It was from the start a fashion statement, a symbol, a BMW "0" series if you want, fitting into the corporate line up.
Yes, sure its "cute" and they have very cleverly and with some success taken the unique "look" of the mini and applied it to a new car; great attention to detail including the tapering rear light cluster, the slatted grille, the roof gutter line and the centre speedo.
from the one that i did drive, the 200bhp JCW turbo its certainly entertaining.
I cant get away fro the feeling that its trading on the heritage of others though. But, BMW bought the "brand" and lets face it, towards the end of the "classic" mini, BL/ AustinRover / Rover etc. had turned it into a brand with stripes, decals, paint-schemes and options to squeeze the most they could out of it.

As comparison, consider what Ford USA did with the "Mustang": took a unique 1960's iconic car and "marketed it" into something unrecognisable. In the case of Mustang, it all happened within the same company.

just my 2 cent worth.

[DaveC]

I am not sure that the new MINI has much of a racing heritage, other than the one make challenge.

The Classic Mini is the one with the real racing and rallying heritage, just check out the latest post of rallying photos to see that heritage is alive and well.

[WELOVEMINI]

BMW do play the heritage card go generate interest in their "version", which is probably fair seen as they bought the car from Rover....

i think they've done the car justice and overall the relaunch was successful? they've maintained the cars unique, fun and cheeky image but made the car more suitalbe for todays world... personally im glad they brought out the new MINI! the history of the car should always be an important factor, same as the driving experience and the design.... if Mini didn't have all of these factors (+many more) it would jsut be the same as any other car?

[karl123]

im 21.. and dont want to be mistaken for one of the 19,000 ucd students already driving a new mini daddy got a deal on when he bought his 5 series for his extremely long ten minute drive to the office LOIKE!

classics all the way! nothing stylish about the new ones at all.. AND ive heard that if you buy one you get a complimentary pair of ugg boots and a voucher for mac make up! hahaha