The first Mini is often referred to as one of Britain’s greatest design and engineering achievements, so the new MINI was under pressure to live up to its predecessor’s legendary status. Speculation was rife. Would the new MINI match up to the 20th century model?

The marketing of the new MINI needed to not only respect the marque’s past achievements and heritage, but also establish the new MINI as an extraordinary car in its own right.

As with the first Mini, innovation and creativity were to remain key elements in developing a communications campaign that would be memorable in a cluttered media landscape.

In the UK, the MINI brand had higher awareness levels than in any other country in the world. Research revealed that nine out of ten people in the UK had sat in a MINI at some point in their lives and most felt they knew it well too. This was a unique starting point for the MINI marketing team. The new communications had to reassure the UK audience that the new MINI had all the personality and seat-of-the-pants driving excitement of the previous car, but that it also met 21st century levels of safety, security and reliability.

A brand is created not only through its communications and logos but also through the total experience that it offers.

Successful brands have a tone of voice that is unique to them. When you clicked on www.mini.co.uk you instantly knew that you had found the correct site because it looked familiar. The reason it looked familiar is that every piece of MINI communication is developed with a set of guidelines. These guidelines are collectively known as communications identity (CI).

MINI's use of brightly coloured frames and white copy on a black background are basic examples of these guidelines. Imagine if this site used black copy on a white background…would it still look like a MINI site?

MINI also uses a particular tonality in its communications that reflects the key characteristics (brand values) of the brand – gutsy and fun!

MINI’s marketing activity uses the strapline, 'It's a MINI Adventure'.