MINI Marketing Stunt Kills 100
Here’s an idea: sponsor a blizzard and name it after a line of cars. That way when it snows, the weather man will be forced to advertise them, how could it possibly go wrong?
Mini is learning the answer to that question the hard way as you read this. It turns out that snow storms, much like hurricanes, are unpredictable and dangerous. So much so that at least 100 people are dead in the aftermath of what was supposed to go down in history as cold weather front “Cooper.”
Apparently, Germany’s meteorology institute allows people to sponsor weather systems. That’s what ad agency Sassenbach did to get their clients’ name in front of customers. Unfortunately, the consequences were grave.
According to the BBC, nearly 950 people are in hospital being treated for hypothermia and frostbite. An additional 100 are dead, mostly in Poland and Ukraine.
BMW is apologized for the stunt which only cost 229 euros, or about $300. Going with the cheap and unpredictable option isn’t something we expect from such a big company. After all, it’s sort of like being in high school and giving a homeless guy cash to buy beer for your party: impossible to control and probably dangerous.
Maybe next time they should look into the adopt-a-highway program.
[Source: BBC]
Luke is an energetic automotive journalist who spends his time covering industry news and crawling the internet for the latest breaking story. When he isn't in the office, Luke can be found obsessively browsing used car listings, drinking scotch at his favorite bar and dreaming of what to drive next, though the list grows a lot faster than his bank account. He's always on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> looking for a good car conversation. Find Luke on <A title="@lukevandezande on Twitter" href="http://twitter.com/lukevandezande">Twitter</A> and <A title="Luke on Google+" href="http://plus.google.com/112531385961538774338?rel=author">Google+</A>.
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Mini could turn this around and offer to provide some assistance to those affected by the disaster. Good PR and people who need help would get some.
What could go wrong with a mini tsunami ?