The brand value increased by 18% and climbed ten places higher in Interbrand's ranking.
An emotional, authentic brand with engaging products and innovative communications: The systematic reorganisation of the MINI brand is a success. In the current ranking of brands with the highest value - Best Global Brands according to Interbrand, which compiles the list, the value of the MINI brand has increased by 18% - the highest of the premium car manufacturers, with only two of them showing a similar increase. With a value of around $4.9 billion, the British premium brand moved up ten places to No. 88.
MINI's brand value continues to grow rapidly. In 2014, the brand had not yet made it into the Top 100, but it first appeared at number 98 in 2015 and now, a year on, it has moved up ten places to 88. Sebastian Mackensen, Senior Vice President of MINI, explains what the brand's success ingredient is: "The brand's rise is down to making people happy - which means satisfying their needs and passions."
This strong increase in brand value stems from the systematic implementation of the brand repositioning philosophy announced in 2015. Design, authenticity and intrinsic value define the new brand identity, which is reflected in the visual appearance and the new communication philosophy. As part of the new philosophy, the brand is getting rid of anything superfluous, leaving more space for the important things and focusing on the authentic way of communicating key messages. "The brand is evolving. We are currently in the process of a major redefinition," underlines Sebastian Mackensen, Senior Vice President MINI. "In addition to being a highly emotional car brand, MINI is also a modern brand with style and a point of view that is active in several new areas."
MINI seeks to provide solutions to real issues of people living together in the world's cities. With the launch of the revolutionary MINI VISION NEXT 100 Vision Vehicle in June 2016, the brand gave a glimpse of its intentions. MINI aims to continue to create new trends and connect with new target groups living in urban areas. To achieve this, it is also active in areas beyond the car. In 2016, MINI Fashion participated in the PITTI Uomo men's fashion show, while MINI Living made appearances at the Salone del Mobile and other related shows. In late 2016, the brand plans to open an ambitious design center in Brooklyn, New York, called A/D/O. Through its URBAN-X start-up idea accelerator, it also invests in entrepreneurs who want to make life in cities more attractive. Esther Bahne, Head of Brand Strategy and Business Innovation says: "This year we started to be more active in the areas of urban architecture, design, fashion and entrepreneurship - developing and investing in products that appeal to city dwellers. This will drive the growth of the MINI brand in the medium and long term, ensuring we continue to produce a range of attractive products and services and capture new target groups."
The steady rise of the MINI brand is accompanied by a corresponding increase in sales. In the first eight months of 2016, sales increased by 5.7% year-on-year, reaching a total of 223,913 vehicles. The biggest contributors to the rise are the MINI Clubman - including the MINI John Cooper Works Clubman sports version - the new MINI Convertible launched in the spring.
Best Global Brands 2016 is the 17th edition of the report published annually by the consultancy Interbrand, which explores how brands determine the success of a company. The evaluation is based on criteria such as the financial success of products and services, brand influence on customer decisions and the strength of the brand in the company's pricing policy. The value of the top 100 brands has increased by an average of 4.8% since 2015.
