Best of 2018 Digital/Integrated No. 9: A single tweet brings a Mini to your doorstep for a test drive
Now use Twitter to summon something other than angry DMs
Editor's Pick
Through New Year’s on Creativity, we’ll be counting down the best work and ideas of the year in various categories: TV/Film/Branded Content, Print/Out of Home/Design and Digital/Integrated.
At No. 9 in Digital/Integrated, Twitter is not just a platform for quick updates. You can also use it to order pizza and this year, thanks to MINI, consumers could use it to summon a car for a test drive. This fall, the auto brand partnered with the social platform to allow car buyers in L.A. and San Francisco to get s Mini Countryman delivered to their door for a 30-minute test spin, just by tweeting with the hashtag #MINIonDemand.
Original Story:
Long before the age of mail-order mattresses and 100-day return policies, auto dealers pioneered the “try before you buy” sales technique. Only the foolish or the desperate buy a car without test driving it first. But now car dealers are taking a lesson from e-commerce startups and bringing the merchandise directly to their customers.
Through Nov. 30, Twitter users in Los Angeles and San Francisco can have a Mini Countryman or its plug-in hybrid version delivered to their door for a test drive, simply by tweeting with the hashtag #MINIonDemand. Mini customer service will respond with a link to sign up for a 30-minute time slot. The initiative is a partnership with Fooji, an experiential technology platform that connects fans and brands through on-demand delivery services.
@Edie_Pilar_M Test drive it like you stole it! Click to confirm your MINI on demand details https://t.co/cjsSJ0RrK8 #MINIondemand
— MINI USA (@MINIUSA) October 30, 2018
It’s not the first time Mini has tried to spice up the test drive experience. Back in 2012, the brand solicited fan ideas for the perfect test drive and made the winning entry--stewardess, salt flats, sushi, paratroopers and falconer--come true.
Other auto brands have also tried their own spins. Cadillac let Instagram users remote control a car with their phone, and BMW built a virtual car inside Snapchat.
