MINI OPENS NOMINATIONS FOR THOSE WHO DEFY LABELS

Woodcliff Lake, NJ,  February 12, 2016. Punk.  Nerd.  Democrat.  Republican.  Young.  Old.  As a society, we sometimes tend to put people in boxes and narrow an individual’s character to a single label – especially if they are different from us.  MINI USA understands that there is more to each person and recognizes that it is often the originals and mavericks who demonstrate resiliency, authenticity and courage.  That’s why MINI is introducing the #DefyLabels Contest to identify and reward exceptional people in local communities who have proven that they can defy labels and define themselves.
 
“People have put labels on the MINI brand for years.  We’ve been called the ‘small car’ or the ‘cute car,’ but we know we’re more than that.   Despite those labels, we’ve continued to be inventive and innovative with our product line,” said David Duncan, vice president MINI of the Americas. “The Defy Labels Contest isn’t about rebellion, but rather creating your own path regardless of the labels you’ve been given; a concept the MINI brand understands and embodies.”
 
Starting February 12 through April 7, people can nominate candidates by uploading an image and a brief entry explaining how that person defies labels at MINI-DefyLabels.com. Once the nomination period closes, online voting will narrow down the candidates to 16 semi-finalists, of which a final four will be selected by an independent panel of judges. Those four finalists will join the kick-off of MINI TAKES THE STATES, the company’s biennial cross-country rally for MINI owners, and will have the chance to participate in the rally.  A second round of online voting will determine one grand-prize winner who will receive a two-year lease of an all-new MINI Clubman from their local dealer. For official contest rules, visit MINI-DefyLabels.com. 
 
The contest coincides with the launch of the brand’s newest ad campaign, ”Defy Labels” , which includes a cast of well-known list of athletes and celebrities including Serena Williams, Abby Wambach, T-Pain, Randy Johnson, Tony Hawk, and Harvey Keitel.  The campaign also features non-celebrity MINI owners and members of the MINI John Cooper Works racing team, who choose to be true to themselves and break convention.  Each of the individuals involved filmed a series of long-form interviews sharing their own perspectives about labels that are available online at MINIUSA.com/DefyLabels.
 
Journalist notes: For press materials, images and behind-the-scenes video of the MINI “Defy Labels” commercial shoot, visit our multimedia news release here. 
 
About MINI in the US
MINI is an independent brand of the BMW Group. In the United States, MINI USA operates as a business unit of BMW of North America, LLC, located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and includes the marketing and sales organizations for the MINI brand. The MINI USA sales organization is represented in the U.S. through a network of 125 MINI passenger car dealers in 39 states. MINI USA began selling vehicles in the U.S. in 2002 with the introduction of the MINI Cooper and MINI Cooper S Hardtops.