Celebrity Influencers Test Drive Some of the UK’s Best Kept Secrets in MINI UK Campaign

MINI UK and earned advertising agency, The Brooklyn Brothers, have come to the rescue of the UK staycation with the #BigDaysOut campaign to help holidaymakers find adventure off the beaten track.

Big Days Out is a multi-channel creative programme featuring an interactive digital hub, influencer films, partnerships, social media, and events, promoting the MINI Countryman as the go-to partner for vacationers looking for adventurous, out of the ordinary experiences.

Big Days Out aims to showcase MINI Countryman as the ultimate 4-wheeled partner for adventure across the UK. The work was born from the insight that more people are holidaying in the UK (307% increase in hotel bookings) and popular destinations have been fully booked, so the campaign aims to inspire the nation to explore more unknown locations. Attitudinally the work demonstrates the MINI Countryman’s adventurous spirit and practically promotes the spacious size to take on any adventure.

At the core of the campaign is the Big Days Out Index, an interactive guide to the top 100 wildest locations across the UK. Created by a crack team of analysts who trawled multiple data sources from hashtags to tourism data, the MINI Big Days Out Index is a one-stop-shop for staycation ideas and hidden gems – with every location given a score out of 100 including a wildness rating for being a lesser-known adventure spot. Adventure seekers can either explore the entire country using the map or enter their postcode to find the best nearby staycation ideas, road trips or days out.

As part of the campaign, adventure-loving celebrities are test driving the Big Days Out Index and capturing their travels on films which are being launched across social channels including Instagram and YouTube under #BigDaysOut.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor and her family take their MINI Countryman for a Big Day Out to the New Forest for an adventure filled with singing, picnic pit stops and canoeing. Gadgetsboy and Gadgetsjon take tech off-road with a Peak District trip filled with mountain biking and Llamas! While comedian Joel Dommett and his wife Hannah Cooper reach new heights in North Wales taking on Europe’s biggest zip wire and trying their hand at axe throwing.

Longstanding MINI ambassador and everyone’s keep fit guru Joe Wicks jumped into his MINI Countryman and took his now famous “PE with Joe” workouts to some of the country’s most iconic spaces during August. He started in West Sussex and completed six workout events on his way up to Edinburgh, with all ticket sale proceeds going to Children in Need.

MINI have also partnered with Longleat, kitting out the park with a fleet of 10 animal-print MINI Countryman Plug-In Hybrids, which will provide Longleat’s animal team with a more sustainable way to get around the estate, as well as the flexibility to carry out their offsite educational outreach.

To launch this brand-new collaboration, Longleat and MINI are offering explorers the chance to journey around the UK’s No.1 Safari Park in a MINI Countryman. Guests who have pre-booked tickets to this experience at Longleat will have the opportunity to spot roaming lions, tigers, and monkeys up close from a fleet of MINI Countryman between August 21st – 31st. All proceeds from ticket sales will be going towards African wildlife conservation charity, Tusk.

Colette Healy, General Manager Marketing and Product Management, MINI UK said: “With many of our typical foreign holidays grounded, millions of us are thinking ‘now what?’ We wanted to find a way to serve huge doses of UK trip inspiration, full of fun and possibility, because there’s never been a better time to discover your Countryman spirit of adventure. Thanks to The Brooklyn Brothers and our partners, we hope everyone gets a chance to enjoy some #BigDaysOut.”

Simon Poett, Executive Creative Director from The Brooklyn Brothers, said: “We wanted to help MINI save the summer, so we set out to find the UK’s biggest, boldest, best kept secrets. We’ve done the research, now over to the adventure seekers to make the most of our index of over 100 amazing staycation ideas and hidden gems from around Britain to help you get off the beaten track.”

Media and SEO was handled by Wavemaker, and events managed by Wasserman.