Nice to see the region's finest exercising their considerable
brainpower on the crucial issue of blagging themselves free cars, er, we
mean coming up with innovative media ideas. Always on the lookout for
new types of placement, the clever chaps of MindShare Japan have come up
with a media solution which is nothing if not impactful: a
MindShare-branded car.
Known as the MindCar (surely it should be the MindMobile, or maybe the
WPP Wheels?), the car Ford Escape will be used for PR purposes, to
schmooze clients and media owners, and to ferry staff around to
meetings. It will also be loaned out to staff, who'll be able to use it
zoom around the streets of Tokyo at the weekends. It should raise a few
eyebrows there, according to Mindshare Japan CEO Mark Patterson, because
liveried media are a rarity in Tokyo. People who can read the English
writing on the car are also a rarity in Tokyo, we might add, but we
won't, because that would be cruel.
Best of all is the news that, in best hard-bargaining media-buyer style,
the agency got its hands on the car via a contra with its client
Ford.
The question on everyone's lips: does the network plan to do the same
with its other clients? Can we expect to see a steady flow of
MindShare-branded Sony hi-fis, De Beers diamonds, Rolex watches,
Kellogg's cornflakes etc coming through the agency's doors?
