Meet Mini, Hammer & Coop
MINI Usa has recently launched a new website very much focus on advertainment. It’s called Hammer & Coop and it features a story which is something between David Hasselhoff in Knight Rider and Starsky & Hutch. It’s all about video, with a series of webisodes starring the MINI (Coop) and an improbable hero (Hammer).
Together with the webisodes, the site also presents an “Action name generator”, which is a tool that tells you what will be the perfect name for you and your partner to star in the story. Mine would be Mindhunter Zugger… I quite like it 
Very well designed (the site) and directed (the episodes) the whole thing is quite fun to watch, but I’m not sure I will check back to see what’s going to happen in the next episodes… but maybe this is because I’m a woman and, you know, cars aren’t really something I live for…
Maybe I’m nuts - but I watched these videos for the first time today, and I thought the whole thing was a takeoff on James Bond! 2007 -> 007, Hammer talking into his watch, getting in danger because he can’t stay away from the girls, etc. And the bad guys reminded me of the bad guys in James Bond - who are they? Specter?
Maybe you have to think that James Bond movies are kind of silly to respond this way. But am I the only person who sees this?
It seems like these funny, story-oriented tactics are being used more and more in advertising. I don’t know if it’s been done for cars before though. Anyway, advertisers have had to get a lot more creative with stuff since the internet shortened everyone’s attention spans, so a story that is funny and entertaining makes sense. On television, people have to watch what you’re giving them. On the internet, you have to make people want to see the ads you put out there. Classic “push vs. pull”…
Went to the intro, got my name, which I don’t remember.
Just was wondering why they chose ‘adventure sytle’ man kicking into the air.
I get enough aggression at work and on the road. Why would I want it from my MINI?
Didn’t interest me enough to click further.
What agency has the Mini account now in the US? This wasn’t done by TAXI from Canada, was it?
In response to Jay, BMW put out the Hire series of films on 2001 starring Clive Owen and directed by some big names in the film industry such as Ang Lee and Guy Ritchie. One of them even starred Madonna. So yes, it has been done. The main difference was that the Hire series was more serious and very classy.