MINI USA HIGHLIGHTS CARGO SPACE AND ROOM FOR ADVENTURE WITH INNOVATIVE NEW “CREATED IN A COUNTRYMAN” CAMPAIGN

Woodcliff Lake, NJ,  September 12, 2018. MINI USA today launched the new “Created in a Countryman” creative campaign to help showcase the spacious and versatile cargo space of the 2019 MINI Countryman. To do so in a unique and innovative way, MINI USA tapped stop-motion animator Kirsten Lepore of “hi stranger” fame and diorama-duo Nix + Gerber to create short films in the cargo space of the biggest, most adventurous MINI ever built.

Conceived in partnership with MINI USA’s digital advertising agency 360i, the “Created in a Countryman” campaign demonstrates the surprising large amount of cargo space available in the MINI Countryman, which was completely redesigned and reengineered in 2017. The MINI Countryman features sliding and folding rear seats and an adjustable trunk floor, offering 17.6 cubic feet cargo space with the rear seat in use, and 46.7 cubic feet when folded flat.

“This campaign intends to demonstrate how the MINI Countryman offers the space and versatility to handle even the biggest adventures,” said Patrick McKenna, Department Head, MINI Brand Communications. “The quality and creativity of the concepts conceived by these talented artists also align well with MINI’s design philosophy around the creative use of space, and our support of art and culture.”

“Camping” - Nix + Gerber’s campsite dioramas were shaped using various types of foam, wire, flock, dirt and rocks, while characters like the miniature astronauts were sculpted with a bake-able polymer clay that took three full days to set and dry.

“Underwater” - Kirsten Lepore’s aquatic adventure was designed using 20 sheets of high-grade paper reinforced with everything from toothpicks and skewers to large wooden dowels, while an overlay of plexiglass gave the ocean a shimmering quality throughout the 672 hand-placed frames required to create the film.

Each of the intricate, labor-intensive executions took about three days to craft and film, and utilized unique approaches to tactile, hand-crafted works of art intended to be displayed through multiple digital channels.

A special screening of “Camping” by Nix + Gerber occurs on Monday, September 17th at the BAM Rose Cinema at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. “Underwater”, by Kirsten Lepore will screen shortly thereafter and will be featured at The Other Art Fair in Los Angeles from October 25 – 28.

Video assets from the “Created in a Countryman” are posted to the MINI USA YouTube channel and are available for download in the MINI Countryman Newsroom on MINIUSANEWS.com.

Official press photos and b-roll of the MINI Countryman are also available for download in the MINI Countryman Newsroom on MINIUSANEWS.com. Media interested in updates on MINI USA can also follow us on Twitter at @MINIUSANEWS.


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 126 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. Since then, the MINI Brand in the U.S. has grown to encompass a model range of six unique vehicles.

Consumer information about MINI products is available via the internet at: www.MINIUSA.com.