Best Global Brands: No top-100 premium automotive brand makes bigger gains than MINI

• Brand value rises 18 per cent, climbs ten places in Interbrand ranking.

An emotional, authentic brand, with attractive products and distinctive brand communications: The systematic realignment of the MINI brand is proving a success. In the current Best Global Brands ranking compiled by the agency Interbrand, the value of the MINI brand climbed 18 per cent – the highest increase of any premium automotive brand in the top 100, with only two others able to match this strong rate of growth. With a brand value of around 4.9 billion US dollars, the British premium brand climbed ten places to number 88.
 
MINI continues its strong growth in brand value. In 2014, the brand was yet to break into the top 100, but debuted at number 98 in 2015 and has now climbed ten places to number 88 in the space of a year. Sebastian Mackensen, Senior Vice President MINI, explains what makes the brand successful: “Brand growth is a consequence of making people happy – which means delivering on their needs and passions.”

This strong growth in brand value stems from the systematic implementation of the brand realignment announced in 2015. Design, authenticity and intrinsic value define the new brand identity, which is reflected in the visual appearance and new tonality of communications. The new brand philosophy dispenses with all that is unnecessary, leaving more room for what is important and focusing attention on key messages, communicated in an authentic manner. “The brand is evolving; we are currently in the process of a major repositioning,” underlines Sebastian Mackensen, Senior Vice President MINI. “MINI is not only a highly-emotional automotive brand, but also an authentic, urban lifestyle brand that is positioning itself in a number of new fields.”

MINI seeks to provide answers to the real issues of living together in cities worldwide. With the presentation of its ground-breaking MINI VISION NEXT 100 Vision Vehicle in June 2016, the brand offered a glimpse into its thinking.

MINI aims to continue to actively shape the zeitgeist and connect with young, urban target groups. To achieve this, MINI is also active outside of the automotive world. In 2016, MINI Fashion participated in the PITTI Uomo menswear event; while MINI Living made appearances at the Salone del Mobile and other shows. In late 2016, the brand will open an ambitious centre for designers in Brooklyn, New York with the name A/D/O. Through the start-up accelerator URBAN-X, it is also investing in entrepreneurs who want to make living in cities more attractive. Esther Bahne, head of Brand Strategy und Business Innovation: “This year, we started engaging more deeply in the fields of urban architecture, design, fashion and entrepreneurship – developing and investing in products of high relevance to people living in cities globally. This will drive MINI brand growth over the medium to long term, ensuring that we continue to build a pipeline of attractive products and services and keep on conquering new target groups.”

The steady growth of the MINI brand is accompanied by corresponding growth in product sales. In the first eight months of 2016, sales rose 5.7% year-on-year to reach a total of 223,913 vehicles. The biggest growth drivers for the premium brand are the MINI Clubman – including its most sporty variant, the newly released MINI John Cooper Works Clubman –and the new MINI Cabrio introduced in the spring.

“Best Global Brands” 2016 is the 17th edition of the report published annually by global brand consultancy Interbrand, which explores how brands determine the success of a company. The evaluation is based on the financial success of the products and services belonging to the brand, the role of the brand in customer decision-making and its impact on company pricing. The value of the top 100 brands has increased by an average of 4.8 per cent since 2015.

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