This post originally appeared in our agency blog. It’s not only a wonderful bit of brand positioning, but a terrific way to support a green platform.
Sometimes when you’re creating or accentuating a brand’s position, you have to invent a brand trait and then back it up with real numbers. MINI Cooper has done this with its “Carfun Footprint” (versus “Carbon Footprint”), and, naturally, outperforms its sports car competition.
“Your Carfun Footprint is a measure of how fun your car is versus how much impact it has on the environment. Determined by using a real equation and real math, it is, in fact, a real number. And the 37-MPG MINI Cooper has the best Carfun Footprint on the road.”
I ran my ‘04 Acura TL through MINI’s Carfun Footprint site, and found that the site is a gas. I was gratified to learn that I scored a 52, which means, according to MINI, I’m “relatively green and relatively fun.” Of course, not nearly as green or fun as MINI.
They’ve done a masterful job of inventing a product differentiator that supports its current brand position. And they’ve avoided the pitfalls of marketing hyperbole by backing up their Carfun Footprint claim with real numbers. One final brilliant turn in this brand strategy is the microsite (or should I say “MINI”site) that encourages you to participate by calculating your own Carfun Footprint.
The best brand positioning and marketing often begins with inventing a relevant core differentiator, and then supporting it with REAL measurement. And, while you’re executing brilliant positioning tactics like this, don’t forget to invite your customer to take your brand for a test drive.
Tags: automotive, carbon footprint, carfun footprint, corporate environmental campaigns, green, mini cooper
Posted in: Corporate Enviro Causes, Green Marketing, Sustainable Marketing
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