Proximity campaigns without the product

Malaysia - Proximity Malaysia's latest Mini campaign - The Other MINI - offers a glimpse at Mini's latest model in Malaysia without putting the physical car on the street.

On the street, projection technology beams searchlights, scanning the sides of buildings looking for The Other Mini. Promoters distribute flyers, challenging recipients to spot The Other Mini in the stereogram while motion projection screens are placed in malls that reveal glimpses of the car when one passes by or waves at the screen. 'MINIsters' can get a closer look at the model or book a test drive at http://www.theothermini.com.my/ which also uses audio technology to engage viewers. A fan page has also been created on Facebook.

Ronald Ng, ECD of BBDO and Proximity, said, "We took the lead from other countries that have already launched the car and did a complete 180º on the direction, proving we didn't need to physically put it on the street to get heads to turn."

"Beyond the budget constraints, we were faced with technological barriers. A lot of the stuff we wanted to do required high-end equipment," Ng said.

For example, the motion projection box was built from scratch using simple webcam technology. According to Proximity's business director Vic Sithasanan, "A few days and several experiments later, we had a prototype. Now the fun is in watching the public interact with it. The frantic waving and the expressions of surprise is the ultimate reward."