CALIFORNIA, USA — The global supply chain crisis caused people to build do-it-yourself versions of literally everything. Due to shortages, many would-be MINI owners were struggling to get their hands on the real thing, but that never stopped them from expressing their love for the brand in a… rather unique way.
From furniture to an actual submarine, DIY content exploded across TikTok. But as the crisis ended, MINI USA realized it needed a way to announce its cars were back in stock, so it took the DIY trend insight and turned it into a ridiculous epidemic: The Do-It-Yourself MINI.
To combat the DIY trend and announce that production was back up to 100%, MINI teamed up with Pereira O’Dell, creative AOR of over seven years, to create the Don’t Do It Yourself Department which pays homage to the original Counter Counterfeit Commission, launched nearly 20 years ago in 2005.
MINI USA took to DIYers’ favorite platform, TikTok, and posted seemingly real DIY MINI Cooper tutorial TikToks made by MINI fans who couldn’t wait any longer for their MINI.
Then it launched a fake task force, the Don’t Do-It-Yourself Department, to alert the public and call out MINI DIYers on their favorite platform. Some of the DIYs were fabricated IRL, including the MINI fully crocheted out of yarn, but most of the images were created with Pereira O’Dell’s AI Lab using generative AI tools.
Just when it had everyone convinced people were desperately trying to DIY the MINI, it made a big announcement: “Stop DIYing our cars. The MINIs are back. Go get a real one, right now.”
PJ Pereira, Founder and Creative Chairman at Pereira O’Dell, said, “ While other car brands have a community with a car inside, MINI is a car with a community inside. They are one of those brands that are blessed to have a strong community of self-sustaining enthusiasts. And we love helping celebrate them. Innovation has always been central to MINI’s marketing efforts – whether it’s being the first car brand to enter the metaverse, or being a leader in sustainability.
We were excited about their openness to use AI for the development of this campaign. Due to supply chain issues that lasted well beyond the pandemic, it would have been impossible to achieve what we wanted creatively simply because production wasn’t at 100% yet. AI allowed us to DIY thousands of MINIs at record speed.”
The campaign – which jumps on TikTok’s “dupe” trend and the DIY madness that ensued during the pandemic – included AI and IRL dupes created out of cardboard, duct tape, and even Ramen Noodles. Despite their rudimentary appearance, these DIY MINIs are a true testament to the brand’s passionate fan base, known for their enthusiasm and loyalty.
