Joined in 2023 
82 
63 About this deal
Heavily branded children’s toys aren’t new. In 1994, Mattel released a Barbie McDonald’s Restaurant Set, complete “with talking drive-thru” and miniature menu boards. Around the same time, ride-on toy cars for children became popular, and BMW, Jeep and Mercedes-Benz wasted no time slapping their logos on plastic bonnets. Daniel Cook, a professor of childhood studies at Rutgers University and author of The Commodification of Childhood, says: “Consumerism has been a part of children’s lives for as long as there has been modern consumption,” roughly since the mid-1800s. He references Victorian artist Kate Greenaway’s picture books of the 1880s, which had a tie-in line of clothing for girls produced by Liberty of London. He also points to Campbell’s Soup’s range of dolls, first sold in 1909. The Mini Brands leverage three trends that rival toy companies were already capitalizing on: collectibles, surprise unboxings of small toys, and nostalgia. The zeitgeist in 2001 was that we had just entered a new millennium and people were jumping into that with a lot of energy,” remembers Schwarzenbauer. “People were very willing to question conventions and the new Mini really hit right at the heart of that.” Mini plans to create separate identities for its five “superhero” models including colour schemes and aesthetic concepts Zuru ‘s globally popular collectible toy line 5 Surprise Mini Brands is enjoying continued success in the United Kingdom & Ireland. Mini Brands was 2022’s No.6 item in the total market YTD, with Mini Brands Disney coming in at No.12 in October, as per NPD. In addition, Mini Brands has amassed over 5b views on TikTok. This success helped Zuru become the No.7 supplier in the UK YTD. Giant success: ‘I like how the boxes look real,’ says one young fan. Photograph: Saty + Pratha/The Observer
The values for fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and energy consumption shown were determined in a standardised test cycle according to the European Regulation (EC) 715/2007 in the version currently applicable. The figures refer to a vehicle with basic configuration in Germany and the range shown considers transmission (automatic or manual) and the different wheels and tyres available on the selected model and may vary during the configuration. Collect Action Cards throughout the game. Some cards help you, while others effect your playing partners.Though it is reinventing itself again, retaining its links to thepast will be crucial for Mini as it develops its new brand identity in the years ahead. Among other announcements made last month was a pledge by the brand to begin investing in startup accelerators around the world that aim to develop solutions for “urban living”. Yet as Mini expands its services and its role within society, it must also hang onto the qualities that have made it iconic for so long. The brand moved between a series of British owners (see timelines, above), ending up at Rover Group prior to its acquisition by BMW. Today, most Minis are still made in the UK at a factory in Cowley, Oxfordshire and new models incorporate multiple design elements that speak to the car’s earliest iterations. For example, the new Clubman features horizontal double-doors on the boot in the same fashion as the 1970s version of the model.
According to author Simon Garfield, humans have always been drawn to tiny things. In his 2018 book In Miniature: How Small Things Illuminate The World, Garfield explains that minis both educate and excite us – “The miniature world embraces control,” he writes, arguing that children who play with miniatures get a taste of adult power. This will provide the somewhat unusual spectacle of a piecemeal brand relaunch that reveals itself over time as each of the five models receives their new identity – a conscious decision by Mini as it looks to make consumers more aware of its different product lines. The new brand identity will debut in advertising for the Clubman when the model goes on sale in October. A preview of print and outdoor ads shown at the launch event reveals a more sparse, sombre presentation in comparison to recent Mini campaigns, such as ‘Not Normal’ in 2013. The Clubman is simply photographed against a hardwood floor in an old industrial building as light streams in from a glass roof, with minimal copy underneath. The key is constantly refreshing it,” Silver said. “Keeping it fresh to keep the consumer interested.”In the rush to embrace digital change, Mini is also keen to avoid losing touch with its rich British heritage. The original Mini, created in 1959 by car designer Sir Alec Issigonis for the British Motor Corporation, was a no-frills small car dedicated to making optimum use of space. The first version to go on sale even did so without in-car heating on standard models; customers had to request the installation of a heating unit if they wanted one. The toy took off as the world suddenly found itself nostalgic for grocery shopping, as the pandemic shifted a lot of supermarket trips to online.
The Mini Brands craze has taken TikTok by storm, with over 5b videos showcasing creative unboxing, trading and customisation of the collectible toys. More than 1.5m followers and over 30m likes make Mini Brands the most liked toy brand on the platform. Mini Brands has also partnered with several TikTok creators to host giveaways and challenges, further fuelling the excitement surrounding the toy line. And like the supermarket products it shrinks down, Zuru’s ongoing success with Mini Brands will depend on whether it can keep things from getting stale, Silver said. I can’t deny I’m entertained by my miniature groceries. I marvel as I compare the mini Dove to the real one. Yet as children’s toys, they are more concerning and you can’t help wondering where playtime ends and consuming begins. There must be something special about a brand if it can pass between six different owners in half a century and still be described rightfully as ‘iconic’. In the case of car brand Mini, that special attribute is its ability to reinvent itself.
The Mini heritage
In addition to the new toy releases, Mini Brands is launching Mini Fashion Series 2, which features miniature versions of popular clothing and accessories. This series allows collectors to add a fashionable touch to their Mini Brands collections and provides even more opportunities for creativity and self-expression. And that has huge commercial potential for so many adult consumer brands looking to expand their market. With our five ‘superheroes’ we want to make it very clear that each of those cars has its own character,” explains Lengning. “The Clubman is the most extreme example in terms of moving in a direction away from the past, but you should still expect a lotof fun from the different models as each character emerges.” Car-sharing service
Last month, in a graffiti-daubed former factory in central Berlin, executives from Mini’s owner BMW gathered to announce “the third chapter” in its 56-year history. Marketing Week received exclusive access to hear the story behind the brand’s latest reboot, including new designs, a new logo and a new positioning for its cars. Over Skype, seven-year-old Ava, from the west coast of America, plays with her Mini Brands and Shopkins. Her favourite Mini Brand is Bosco chocolate syrup, because she likes eating it in real life (she doesn’t like the strawberry syrup toy because she doesn’t like strawberry syrup). “I like how the boxes look real,” she says. We have more digitalisation, so all of a sudden people can get more information about everything and are keen to know what’s behind the brand and the shiny surface,” says Marc Lengning, head of brand management at Mini.
The original in the premium segment of small cars has reached its 60th birthday – but it is even younger than ever. It was sixty years ago, to be precise on 26 August 1959, that British Motor Corporation proudly revealed the result of their development activities in creating a new, revolutionary compact car.
Great Deal 
New Comment