MINI might not be an official Olympics sponsor, but that didn’t stop the automaker from making its presence felt at the games. Within the Olympic Village itself, unless you’re an official sponsor of the games, other brands are not allowed to advertise. Thanks to the iconic shape of MINI vehicles, the automaker still turned lots of heads in the village. Here’s how.
During the 2008 Beijing games, small remote controlled vehicles transported track and field equipment. While these cars were very abstract in shape, in the London games, they’re a little more recognizable. In fact, they look like a small MINI car.
They’re a near-exact 1/4 scale replica of the MINI Hardtop. While there are no logos or branding on the vehicles whatsoever (as that’d be a violation of Olympic advertiser rules), the car’s unique shape was immediately associated with MINI in fans and Olympians’ minds. It’s a clever way to give the MINI brand a presence at the games.
At Fields Orlando MINI, we loved seeing our favorite automaker on the world stage. According to Businessweek.com, which initially ran the story, these remote controlled cars cost almost as much as a used MINI! So although you won’t see them on our lot anytime soon, you’ll find plenty of full-sized MINI vehicles to test drive.
