While the work of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein may strike up memories of art history class for some, Mini sees it as a gateway to potential buyers.
Mini's target audience is known as a creative lot, so it makes sense that Sewell Automotive Cos. in Texas saw the opening of a pop-culture art exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art last October as an ideal spot to push the brand.
The dealership group, which has a Mini store in Plano, wrapped a Cooper in a graphic that was inspired by Lichtenstein's art and displayed it in the museum for exhibit attendees. The group brought in a photo booth as well to engage onlookers during the preview party for "International Pop," an exhibition dedicated to the global emergence of pop art from the mid-1950s to the early 1970s.
The event drew more than 1,000 visitors who fit the profile that Mini covets, says Stephen Tolerico, chief marketing officer of Sewell Automotive.
But Sewell's presence at the museum wouldn't have been possible without an assist from Mini, which covered about half of the expenses through co-op funding to sponsor the festivities.
"It was cost-prohibitive. It would not have made sense for us to do it without their assistance," Tolerico told Automotive News. "It would've been a missed opportunity based upon the demographics that were there, the impressions that were made, the opinions that were solidified about the brand."