Mini Cooper is out with an awesomely ruthless new ad, set in Singapore, that shows the automaker tricking people into test driving its product—by teaming up with a towing service and giving loaners to stranded motorists.
The consumer testimonials are dubious (as they tend to be in stunt videos like this). But real or fake, the ad makes quick work of indirectly digging at competitors, simply by showing Mini providing real utility in an inevitably frustrating situation.
There's also the implication of superior reliability—note the prominent Mercedes-Benz logo in one sad shot of a car lying dead on the side of the road. If that doesn't drive home the point—that when other brands fail you, Mini won't—the ad's kicker does, with an excellent bit of snark. (Wishing the other cars a "speedy recovery" is tantamount to hustling them along to the junkyard.)
Still as fun as Mini would like you to think its cars are to drive, comparing them to go-karts might not be the best way to reinforce a message of dependability. But it's nice to see a brand swoop in like a vulture to scoop up a rival's business when it's at its most vulnerable.
Now, it needs to start showing up at poorly marked no-parking zones, too.
Agency: Kinetic Singapore.