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A Mini Experience with Maximum Impact
Author: Bill Cusick
July 28, 2004
I own a Mini, and, I have to say, it’s really cool. To be clear, mine is a Mini Cooper S, with the John Cooper Works. The car itself is one of those products (like the Apple ipod, or the…what else is really cool?) that makes you smile. But the customer experience begins way before you actually go into the dealer to pick up your Mini.
Like many car companies, you can go to the Mini site, and “build your car.” But right now, a visit there allows you to also “build your robot.” Take a look to see what I mean. After you decide on the model, the exterior color (dark silver for me, with a black top), the interior (leather, brushed aluminum), etc., you can make your purchase. But that’s just the beginning - because they have to build your car, over in England, and then ship to you on a slow boat, and maybe a railroad, and a truck. In fact, most people are looking at at least eight weeks of waiting.
But, as opposed to some car dealerships, where you might not even get a call when your car arrives, Mini makes the journey - for both you and your car - an adventure. First, you get a password which allows you into the “Owners’ Lounge” of the website. There, you can track the progress of your Mini: as it is put into production, and built, and sent to the shipyard. You find out which ship it will be on, and you can discuss this with other owners on the online forum. Also in the forum, you can visit ongoing discussions about everything from what you should name your Mini (I know, it’s almost weird, and no I haven’t named mine yet, though to me it looks like a cartoonish mini batmobile), to how you should wave to other Mini owners on the road, to how much everybody hates Hummers.
A few weeks later, in the mail, you get a package with a “motoring journal” and Mini pen for recording your future Mini adventures, an unofficial owner’s manual that tells you things like where to hide your key when jogging, and more. By the time you go to actually pick up your car, you are seriously stoked.
And then the actual customer experience begins, of outstanding service and a great car. Who would buy anything else?
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Exactly!
Comment by Jackie Huba — September 3, 2004 @ 9:18 am
Hey Bill,
A freelance designer I worked with for awhile got a Cadillac STS during the brand’s something-year anniversary. Three-weeks after she got the car a pretty kicking New Owner Kit came in the mail in a fancy box-elope. It was all about brand legacy blending into a cutting edge future, and had some usage-enhancement stuff, too. Impressive enough to keep her around in three years? Don’t know, but I suspect it may influence second car decisions and recommendations. We pitched repurposing much of our stuff into a New Owner kit as a way for the client to get more mileage from their investment…and so we could sell a fifth issue. It is one of the straws getting them to dump their Owners Club agency…more $s our way. Like your car.
Comment by Randy Hess — September 6, 2004 @ 10:41 pm