This piece was originally posted on Jordan Williams’s blog.
Mini’s new “It’s Personal” campaign is driving out of home advertising in a new direction. Mixing digital and analog technology, the campaign allows German pedestrians to snap a photo in a Mini Photo Booth, pick a Mini model, and see their their image paired with the car on Germany’s largest video screen set above the Kurfürstendamm shopping boulevard in Berlin. The photo booth also prints a postcard for the participant.
But I don’t think the personalization piece is the best part. I think the best part is participants walk away with a mini artifact. Participants take away a part of the ad, bringing out of home advertising into the home. In a digital age, meaningful material objects that document an experience hold even more significance. I think people will hang onto the print out for a week or so. Friends will see the postcard and hear the story. In an era when our Facebook newsfeed refreshes every 5 minutes, the participants will walk away with something in hand. Participants will remember the experience and remember Mini.
