May 7, 2015
Jaguar's Mini Miglia
British automaker Jaguar Land Rover is giving itself a head start in the historic Italian Mille Miglia race May 14-17 with a mini version of the event.
The inaugural "Mini Miglia" event was designed to let the team heading to Italy get accustomed to various vehicles. Additionally, the brand will benefit from the mounting excitement that its pre-race escapades generate among social media followers.
"The Mille Miglia is an exciting, yet gruelling event where drivers are placed in control of extremely valuable, high performance sports cars," said Richard Agnew, global public relations director at Jaguar, Warwickshire, Britain.
"Our drive team members were given full training in a spectacular setting to ensure they are comfortable with all aspects of driving and managing their rally car in advance of the event," he said. "It was also a great opportunity for the team to meet, bond and share a unique experience with Jaguar.
"It galvanized our team enormously."
Rain or shine
The endurance race has become essential to the luxury auto industry. Less competition than pageantry, the events present unparalleled opportunities for brands to showcase heritage in a palatable way.
Mille Miglia began in 1927 with 77 cars traveling past scores of enthusiastic fans from the first stretch to the last.
Millie Miglia timeline gallery
The race was barred in 1957 following a series of fatal crashes and was revived in 1982 as a vintage car road rally event. Whereas the initial version focused on winning, and therefore cavalier risk-taking, the second incarnation celebrates heritage.
Since then, Jaguar has been a fixture at the event, revving up vehicles that have been around longer than many drivers.
The Mini Miglia event took place in Scotland over 100 miles of remote roads. Some of the most historic Jaguar vehicles were available for team members to get accustomed to before they drive them in the taxing Mille Miglia that runs approximately 1,000 miles from Brescia to Rome.
Jaguar's Mini Miglia with David Gandy
Jaguar released a social video to capture the camaraderie that the event instilled and to show various models getting tuned up.
Notable members of the Mille Miglia team include Jaguar's director of Design Iam Callum, chef and TV presenter James Martin and supermodel David Gandy.
Jaguar Mini Miglia video
In the video, team members mill among vintage cars on a foggy, rain-slicked day and then course through narrow, scenic routes in Scotland.
Introducing the Mini Miglia
Hyper heritage
Sometimes, brands embark on their own heritage tours so they can better control the focus of fans.
For instance, Italian automaker Maserati brought its centennial celebration to the United States to build more brand unity.
The tour stopped in key U.S. cities and the brand expected more than 100 owners to attend each rally. Branded events often act as the glue that holds consumers loyal to a brand, especially when the events attract like-minded people who can share their passion (see story).
Also, Italian automaker Ferrari invited clients from around the world to participate in its Ferrari Cavalcade.
The event hosted 90 drivers from 27 countries on a course through Sicily, Italy. The annual drive, in its third edition, celebrated the brand’s Italian roots through art, history and landscapes (see story).
Finding a way to fold regular fans into the mix is a more challenging task, but Jaguar Land Rover has some tactics prepared.
"Many of our drivers are highly popular across major digital and social channels," Mr. Agnew said. "Using the hashtage #JaguarMille, our drivers are already discussing their experiences on the 'Mini Miglia' and will continue to do so throughout the event which is held in Italy from 14-17 May.
"Jaguar will publish a compelling stream of video and image content captured in Italy on its Facebook and Twitter channels," he said. "We believe giving followers the insight into the thrilling Jaguar Heritage driving experience from the perspective of their heroes is something that helps inspire existing and future customers of our products and brand.
"Jaguar is in its 80th year as a marque and the Mille Miglia is our headline celebration."
Final Take
Joe McCarthy, staff reporter on Luxury Daily, New York
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