MINI is all about Big Love: having an optimistic attitude to life and inspiring a world of positive action. Given its rebellious spirit and large female audience, this was the perfect opportunity to break the taboo around breast cancer and take it to the streets. With a near-zero budget, our brief was to design a simple test drive activation that brought together the values of MINI as a brand, while showcasing the best of creativity with a cause.

A simple breast self-examination can increase chances of survival by 93%. But in the UAE, conversations around breast cancer are still a taboo. MINI, with its rebellious spirit and large female audience, took this message to the streets with a simple visual representation. With survivor Dina Amin, we invited women to test drive this pink MINI and examine UAE’s roundabouts for bumps. We also tied up with hospitals to offer complimentary medical check-ups that could be booked online with the test drive. In the same tongue-in-cheek tone, we also used our showrooms and social media to educate women about other signs to look for in their breasts.

Given the taboo around breast cancer, people in the UAE are hesitant to associate themselves with any campaign, for fear of judgement. MINI, with its large female audience and rebellious spirit, wanted to break the silence in a simple, low-cost way. Most importantly, we needed to deliver this important message with maximum impact, whilst still maintaining MINI’s tongue-in-cheek tone of voice.

We wanted to juxtapose these closed-door conversations against the most conspicuous element of UAE – its roundabouts. One look at the roundabouts and we knew it was the perfect way to mimic the breast self-examinations without saying a word.

For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we invited women to test drive this pink MINI and examine UAE’s roundabouts for bumps. All through the month, we also tied up with hospitals to offer complimentary medical check-ups that could be booked online with the test drive. We teamed up with survivor Dina Amin to accompany the women on their test drives and create a safe space for them to have conversations about breast cancer. We also used our showrooms and social media to educate women about other signs to look for in their breasts – all in the same tongue-in-cheek tone.

TEST DRIVES BOOKED: 150% above monthly average

SCREENINGS BOOKED: 93

IMPRESSIONS: 10 Million

EARNED MEDIA: 3 Million AED

CAMPAIGN COST: One can of pink paint