Number 15 - At a Gallery Near You

Introducing the art critic’s choice of car, the MINI SOHO 15. Appearing as a painting with a $49,595 price tag at galleries and cafes around town, it could be seen as a rather expensive piece of art. Until you realise you get a free MINI SOHO when you buy the painting that is.

One of the most exclusive MINIs ever, there are only 15 MINI SOHOs in the world and they’re only available online and only in New Zealand. Each car is individually recognisable with a distinctive numbered badge, 1 – 15.

The unique MINI SOHO graphics include interior fascia badging, side scuttles, entry sills, bonnet stripes, and exterior side graphics. There’s also a unique white silver exterior paint, black bi-xenon headlights, Harman Kardon HiFi System and 17” two-tone bespoke wheels. Each vehicle is then finished with its own individually numbered plaque. Now that’s a work of art.

Such an uber-exclusive car requires an equally exclusive marketing campaign, with MINI assigning each number its own distinct personality. From the big and bold MINI SOHO 1, to the naughty second child MINI SOHO 2, to everyone’s favourite lucky number MINI SOHO 7, or the daring MINI SOHO 9 with its nine lives, there’s one to suit your every whim.

There’s also a bunch of New Zealand firsts thrown into the campaign for good measure including New Zealand’s first 3D cinema ad in conjunction with Val Morgan and Digipost; New Zealand’s first ‘cling’ poster campaign; exclusive ads on NZ’s new music channel C42; and the creation of a whole new medium, magazine edge advertising, as seen in the latest issue of ProDesign.

Other mediums include a window display at fashion boutique Black Box, bar coasters, urban digital projections and a daredevil stunt.

So if you’d like Number 15 sitting proudly on your wall and with a fancy new MINI in the garage to boot, click here or view at Whitespace and Satellite galleries in Auckland and selected Auckland and Wellington cafes.

Otherwise, read on for more info on the campaign or head to www.mini.co.nz for more info on the MINI SOHO range.

WHAT’S YOUR NUMBER?

1. MINI SOHO 1 is the ultimate big-ego number. A normal billboard space wasn’t big enough, so we took over the entire wall with a giant billboard 20 metres high. And covered in sequins.

2. MINI SOHO 2 is like the naughty second child. New Zealand’s first ‘cling’ poster campaign allows us to place ads in naughty places without getting into TOO much trouble. Clings are made of static-charged material so they ‘cling’ to any surface, but are 100% removable.

3. Patrons of certain high-profile bars will smile when they see our bar coasters. Let’s just s ay MINI SOHO 3 wants to encourage threesomes.

4. MINI SOHO 4 is the intelligent one. Look out for long copy ads and some mind-bending puzzles in MindFood magazine.

5. MINI SOHO 5 is high fashion. Don’t miss the Stolen Girlfriends Club window display at Black Box Boutique in Grey Lynn.

6. There’s a new celeb on the scene – MINI SOHO 6. Does this number do anything other than go to lunch? You’ll see number 6 on the A-List, at the media awards, and at various who’s who events.

7. MINI SOHO 7 is everyone’s favourite lucky number. We’re sponsoring Race 7 at next weekend’s Ellerslie race meet (Saturday 29 May), so take a punt and lady luck might just be on your side.

8. MINI SOHO 8 is streetwise. We’re the first advertiser on NZ’s new music channel, C42. We’ve also collaborated with a graffiti artist to create spray-painted street posters.

9. MINI SOHO 9 is daring - it has 9 lives after all. Look for the broken bones in risk-taking magazine, Red Bulletin.

10. In recognition of being a perfect 10, the flaming hot MINI SOHO 10 will pop up alongside NZ’s largest concentration of hot people . . . Les Mills gym.

11.MINI SOHO 11 is next year’s number so it’s all about being futuristic. That’s why we’re excited to be the first advertiser to capitalise on the 3D boom sweeping the country, creating New Zealand’s first 3D cinema ad in conjunction with Val Morgan and Digipost.
Constructed by Digipost in Flame with special software, this is an exciting new initiative uniquely available to cinema advertisers. The year ahead looks positively rosy for cinema, with box office revenue already 33% ahead of last year’s record and an exceptional line-up of movies coming our way.

12. MINI SOHO 12 is the party car, so we’re sponsoring a MINI party in Ponsonby.

13. You have to be brave to choose MINI SOHO 13. These ads only come out at night – as urban digital projections.

14. If you choose MINI SOHO 14, you’ve got the second-to-last number so you’re right on the edge. This calls for a whole new medium to be invented – magazine edge advertising. Our media-first ProDesign insert makes use of one the smallest spaces in a magazine – the edge – but with some clever paper tucking, we ensured you simply can’t miss the ad.

15. The art critic’s choice, MINI SOHO 15 appears as a painting with a rather hefty price tag. It could be one of the most expensive pieces of art in the gallery. Until you realise you get a free MINI SOHO when you buy the painting, that is . . .