Have you seen the mini-booklet print ad introducing the new Mini Cooper Clubman? The booklet add entitled the “Book of ZUG” they neatly summarizes remarkability, while introducing Mini Cooper’s new vehicle.
ZUG [zUHg] – adjective, verb, noun.
1. To be unlike others.
2. To do something different.
3. A place in Switzerland.
On the page edge, they’ve also printed statements that further define, ZUG… on this page:
“ZUG is unapologetically unapologetic.”
[click for slightly larger image]
What’s also clever is a word like ZUG is pretty uncommon. It is a town in Switzerland. Do a Google search for “zug -switzerland” and Mini Cooper will be able to easily track how/if the word begins to enter our everyday language.
While the word “ZUG” probably won’t become part of my lexicon, the definitions provided in the book will. Here are more quotes from the ad booklet. Each is a gem.
ZUG.
We live in a world of mass-produced sameness.
Originality has fallen prey to predictability.
the status quo has become the status quo.
And even the copies have been copied.
Which is why some of us ZUG.
ZUG follows unconventional wisdom.
ZUG is the belief that there is still so much to be discovered. It is the feeling that we are the first, last and best version of ourselves that there will ever be.
ZUG likes when something weird happens.
ZUG is about moving confidently in our own direction, with no apologies. And ZUG is about going that way in style.
ZUG will try anything once.
(Here’s the part where they loop in their vehicle.)
The Mini Clubman is ZUG.
It looks odd. It runs on irregular. It is the brown sheep of the family. It may not be right for you. Then again, you may not be right for it.
(Instead of the mainstream, they say it is “Fringestream”.)
The Road of ZUG.
ZUG isn’t necessarily good or bad. It just is. It’s the oddball member of an already slightly eccentric family.
ZUG makes it up as it goes.
(They then use one of my favorite terms… “Jumbo Shrimp.” They let us know that this is their big small.)
Maybe you’re ZUG.
Maybe you’re not. In the end it doesn’t matter much, because there’s plenty of room on the road for everybody.
ZUG says you can sleep later.
So now Mini Coopers offers their standard MINI as ZIG. The convertible Mini as ZAG. and the new Clubman as ZUG.
How can you work the idea of Zug into how you work? How you build your products or services? How your company operates?
Nice work to Butler, Shine, Stern and Partners in creating this piece.
Tags: remarkability
I like the branding. Zug also means ‘train’ (rail) and ‘a pulling stroke’ (like that of a swimmer, or smoker [drag]).
It’s a distinct name – nice.
Pretty clever how they tied their brand personallity and essence into a three letter word. ZIG,ZAG,ZUG. Thanks for sharing.
clever, cute, memorable….and like always with Mini, completely consistent with their brand personality.
Is ZUG the new farfugnugan??
Claire… you may be right! Thanks for your comment! – Paul
Zug is my name, and I don’t know how they captured the essence of my family in the little book – they don’t even know us! Needless to say, we love the ad.
fyi, an example of an online ad from MINI for this campaign –
http://adverlicio.us/cooper_mini_clubman_runs_irregular_300×250
More MINI Cooper online ads –
http://adverlicio.us/industry/cooper_mini
Great story on the land of Zug. But Zug.com is actually the oldest comedy site on the web that focus on what Zug means “To do something different” only by doing unique comedy pranks online.