- Steve Miller

Mini Cooper has launched a Web site called Carfunfootprint.com, which plays on the words "carbon footprint" and allows consumers to measure the output of their cars in terms of enjoyment. The site is part of a new campaign that carries the message: "It's time to drive like there is a tomorrow."

Print ads for the three-phase campaign, via BSSP, Sausalito, Calif., will run in August and September issues of select lifestyle and auto publications, including Best Life, Car & Driver, ESPN and The New Yorker.

Mini also has formed a partnership to insert a special "Mini" issue of lifestyle magazine Good in a Sunday edition of The New York Times this fall in five major markets: New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles and San Francisco. The issue will feature people, places and things that, according to Mini, "make a difference in the world."

In the second phase, ads will run in September, October and November issues of more auto and lifestyle magazines like Fast Company, Motor Trend and National Geographic Adventurer. Creative asks: "What's your carfun footprint?" and explains the philosophy and methodology of measuring car enjoyment at Carfunfootprint.com.

In the third phase, ads will appear in October and November issues of books such as AutoWeek, Blender and Paste, accompanied by copy that reads: "Good. Clean. Fun." and "More turn, less burn." The October issue of Men's Journal and the September 18th issue of Rolling Stone will feature the same copy in vertical, half-page ads. 

Additionally, billboards and wallscapes—in the aforementioned five key markets—will direct consumers to the carfun Web site. The site allows visitors to measure their own car, not just a Mini, to determine their score. The footprint is derived from actual data from Strategic Vision's syndicated New Vehicle Experience Study, Autodata's vehicle curb weight figures and data from the Environmental Protection Agency's Green Vehicle Guide (which gives environmental scores to cars based on emissions levels and fuel economy).

Once the footprint is derived, consumers can elect to do one of a few things: "Improve," which means driving a Mini; "check into a green motoring tip," which asks consumers to give out their e-mail address and receive tips on lowering their impact on the environment; or "go minimalist," which directs them to another Mini site, Miniusa.com/Minimalism.

"In the face of today's escalating gasoline costs, more people than ever are expressing renewed interest in the original premium small car," Jim McDowell, vp-Mini, said in a statement. "What they'll find through the new campaign is that the third-party data validates their choice. Mini cars outrank all other makes and models by the 'carfun footprint' measure."

Mini sales were up 32% this year through July, per Autodata, Woodcliff Lake, N.J. The auto brand spent $22 million on ads last year and $12 million through May, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.