The Korea Times

BMW MINI bolsters online marketing

- By Jung Da-min damin.jung@ktimes.com

BMW’s iconic MINI is pushing ahead in the online sales market. The British automotive marque has led its experiment­al online sales to success through collaborat­ive projects with young creators in Korea.

All 100 cars of the company’s latest Retro Blue edition were exclusivel­y sold online late last month, selling out within a week. This follows the carmaker’s first online limited sales last October. Fifty of its MINI Hatch Dominick Edition cars also sold out within a week.

The trades have all been made through the iconic MINI’s new website called Dominick, a digital platform where young creators share their thoughts and lifestyles through various collaborat­ive projects with the company.

The Seoul Fashion Week F/W 2018 held last month at Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP) is one example of projects such as this.

At the city’s global fashion business event, MINI Korea has presented its own fashion items along with its Retro Blue edition, attracting the attention of trend setters.

“Rather than focusing just on sales, we are trying to naturally show the value of the brand, to encourage customers to feel they want to buy the car even without actually seeing it,” said Cho In-chul, director of brand management and sales for MINI Korea.

“The main purpose of our digital platform projects is to convey the idea that MINI is for urban lives,” Cho said. “This is why we are conducting projects in various sectors including fashion, living and urban architectu­re.”

The carmaker has been quick to react to shifting trends among customers, placing an emphasis on storytelli­ng as the industry’s technology becomes similar among competitor­s.

Its overall sales reached 9,562 in 2017, up 10.8 percent from the previous year.

 ?? Courtesy of MINI Korea ?? MINI Korea brand management and sales director Cho In-chul makes a presentati­on in front of the company’s latest online limited edition Retro Blue, at Baesan Korea cafe in Seoul, on Tuesday.
Courtesy of MINI Korea MINI Korea brand management and sales director Cho In-chul makes a presentati­on in front of the company’s latest online limited edition Retro Blue, at Baesan Korea cafe in Seoul, on Tuesday.

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