Mini launches new viral adverts

First they took us on a Mini Adventure, then they challenged us to spot the real Minis from the fakes. Now, BMW's growing Mini brand has launched a new advertising campaign spoofing memorable '70s and '80s big screen and TV hits like The Dukes of Hazzard, Starksy and Hutch and Knight Rider. It's called Hammer & Coop, and you can check it out by clicking here.'Hammer' is a stereotypical, crime-fighting, American private detective, and 'Coop', his trusty sidekick, a second-generation Mini Cooper S. They star in a series of funny, action-packed 'viral' films intended to be passed from one browser to another that were directed by Todd Phillips, the man behind the 2004 Hollywood remake of Starsky and Hutch. Unlike many similar ads we could mention, they're actually worth watching.This series of films comes as BMW attempts to increase the profile of its Mini brand Stateside. Mini's expansion into the North American market stepped up a gear with the introduction of the new Mini last year. The larger Mini Traveller is also sure to be a big-seller in the US, and there are even rumours that the brand is investigating a plan to build its fourth model line, an all-wheel drive Mini 4x4, in the States too. The internet ad campaign will be accompanied in the US by more conventional billboard ads, a series of magazine adverts promoting a fictitious 'Hammer and Coop' movie and a 'Hammer and Coop' page on popular internet community website MySpace.