MINI USA Honours Polar Bear Week with 2023 MINI Cooper SE Colour Reveal

Following the celebration of International Polar Bear Week, (October 30-November 5th), MINI USA announces the launch of a new Nanuq white paint finish on the 2023 MINI Electric Cooper SE. The new paint colour, named Nanuq White was inspired by the name of the loveable polar bear character created by the brand’s creative agency Pereira O’Dell along with enthusiastic feedback from the MINI owner community.

The campaign for the 2023 MINI Cooper SE Electric first launched in April 2022 on Earth Day, features a partnership with MINI USA and Polar Bears International to encourage eco-adoptions from the MINI community - and the polar bear love grew from there. In response to the campaign, MINI USA received an outpouring from the MINI community with questions asking where they could get hold of a polar bear bobble head featured in the campaign.

The overwhelming engagement of the MINI community with the polar bear character led to the idea to let the community give it a name. Nanuq - Inuit for 'polar bear' – was the chosen name, which led to the new MINI Cooper SE paint colour with the same name to be revealed following International Polar Bear Week by MINI USA.

“We’re excited to see the strength of our MINI owner community and our commitment to sustainability intersect in a very creative way to help support Polar Bears International.” said Rah Mahtani, brand communications manager, at MINI USA. “MINI is a brand that is not only about having fun, but also about amplifying the voice of its customers and community to affect positive change.” 

The 2023 MINI Cooper SE stays true to what owners love about MINI, while providing the broader benefits of full electrification. The MINI Cooper SE provides MINI’s signature electrified go-kart feeling and driving fun, while helping to minimise its environmental footprint.

The model is an important step in MINI’s stated goal of offering an all-electric line-up of vehicles around 2030. The original campaign ran with paid media across DOOH, Social, Digital, and was featured on the MINI and PBI websites.

A full case study video was created to highlight the creative journey from initial campaign to fan engagement that led to the name of both the polar bear mascot and the new paint colour.

“This was supposed to be a story about a car that is good for the environment and super fun to drive.” said PJ Pereira, creative chairman at Pereira O’Dell.  “Maybe about the charm of this not-so-little mascot too. But then it snowballed into an even better story about enthusiasm, passion and creativity of the MINI community."

To give that enthusiasm an even bigger impact, MINI USA partnered with Polar Bears International (PBI) on the 2023 MINI Cooper SE Hardtop campaign. PBI is the only non-profit organisation dedicated solely to polar bears and Arctic sea ice, and MINI USA’s partnership aims to promote awareness of the NGO’s polar bear conservation efforts.

Anyone that donates $40 or more to PBI via the PBI Eco-Adoption page during the month of November will receive a polar bear bobblehead and a thank you card while supplies last. Customers who pre-order a MINI Cooper SE during the month of November will also receive a bobblehead while they wait for their MINI. 

MINI USA are also refreshing their paid assets to feature the new Nanuq white paint colour, which will include social and digital assets driving to the MINI Electric Pre-Order page.

“We’re grateful to MINI USA for their generous support and pledging their polar promise in protection of polar bear conservation efforts and the company's dedication to a more sustainable future,” said Krista Wright, executive director of Polar Bears International. “By participating in this campaign, we hope to inspire conversation around the important steps we can each take in preserving the planet for future generations.”

Scientists predict that if greenhouse gas emissions continue at the current rate, most polar bears could disappear by 2100 due to lack of sea ice. State-of-the art climate models indicate that an ice-free Arctic in summer will likely occur by the middle of the century if greenhouse gas emissions aren’t regulated. Anyone can make a difference and encourage their community to slow climate change.