Midrand. MINI, the original maker of premium small cars, achieved top honours at the 2011 Khuza Awards last week. MINI scored highly in the Print Category for their adverts “Wear your heart on your mirror” and for “Re Tswa Hole” – meaning we have come a long way – which together earned the brand the Grand Prix Award in the Special Awards Category.
The Khuza Awards are South Africa’s only large-scale, audience-rated and research-based marketing communications awards. Since 2004, the annual awards have identified which adverts and brand communication earn the thumbs up from youth between the ages of 8 and 23.
This year more than 1 000 of South Africa’s youngest and sharpest critics casted their vote on 100 adverts in five entry categories (TV, print, radio, outdoor and online). The adverts were taken between May 2010 and February 2011, and polled in-field from February to April amongst primary schools, high schools and tertiary institution students to identify which adverts were their favourites and why. The respondents were polled in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
MINI won awards in the following categories:
Print:
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Gold (Kids) – Re Tswa Hole (this was a vernacular print advert for the MINI Countryman, which means “we’ve come a long way”).
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Gold (Teens) – Re Tswa Hole.
Outdoor:
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Bronze (Teens) – Wear Your Heart on Your Mirror (from MINI’s “6 Colours to Stand By” campaign during the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup).
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Bronze (Young Adults) – Wear Your Heart on Your Mirror.
Grand Prix:
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MINI received the overall Grand Prix award as a multiple winner across genres and ages.
“These youth opinions are important to us, because these young people are future consumers of our brand. In terms of social media, they have the means and amazing ability to spread their opinions,” said Karen Valle, General Manager of MINI.
For more information visit khuza-awards.co.za
About the BMW Group:
The BMW Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 25 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.
During the financial year 2010, the BMW Group sold 1.46 million cars and more than 110,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for 2010 was euro 4.8 billion on revenues amounting to euro 60.5 billion. At 31 December 2010, the BMW Group had a workforce of approximately 95,500 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy. As a result of its efforts, the BMW Group has been ranked industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the last six years.
