• Brandweek, Tuesday, September 5, 2006 12:15 PM

MINI has a national broadcast budget of zero, and its only new model this year, the Italian-built GP, will be limited to 450 cars in the U.S. What it lacks in size, however, it makes up for in spunk. Witness the 3,100-mile trek across the country in which MINI owners are flying their auto flag high--and hopefully, preaching the MINI gospel to friends, neighbors and colleagues. The "MINI ambassadors," as MINI USA vp Jim McDowell calls them, started out in Monterey, Calif. on Aug. 21 and ended their drive yesterday in Lakeville, Conn. En route, they stayed in four- and five-star hotels located in physically prominent spots in each host city. They also cashed in on some favors from a dozen of MINI's media partners. Men's Health magazine coordinated a private showing of "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" in Charleston, W. Va., for example, and ESPN gave up a skybox for a Cardinals game in St. Louis.

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