2011 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

Nissan Patrol hadn’t changed its design in 10 years. It wasn’t seen as luxurious – just a sturdy off-roading vehicle. But the new design is much more luxurious than other SUVs in its class, while still maintaining its off-roading roots. Because of this, we wanted to increase Patrol’s customer base. Nissan research shows that current SUV owners are more likely to buy a new SUV than non-SUV owners. And from Arabian Automobiles’ past experience, test drives are the best way to drive sales. We had to get current SUV owners to sign up for a test drive in the Patrol.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

Double-parking is common behavior in Dubai, with people leaving notes on their windshields in case they’ve blocked someone in. We used this insight to stage a stunt in various parking lots around the city. We blocked other SUVs by parking the new Patrol behind them. Then we left a note requesting them to move the vehicle. Once inside, they started the vehicle and a CD automatically played a special message. The announcer apologized for the inconvenience, explained the features and invited them to sign up for a real test drive.

Describe the success of the promotion with both client and consumer including some quantifiable results

After their mini test drive, we invited them to sign up for a longer test drive. On average, 7 out of 10 respondents did, including drivers of Toyotas, Jeeps and even Range Rovers who are known to never consider a Patrol. (This doesn’t include the woman who called the police or the angry man who beeped the horn for 10 red-faced minutes.) Arabian Automobiles will be repeating the stunt over 2 more weekends to amortize costs and maximize the investment. Seeing the conversions, they have made this an integral part of their 2011 Patrol marketing plan.

Explain why the method of promotion was most relevant to the product or service

By using local insight into customer behaviour, we found a disruptive way to get test drives. People thought it was just another inconsiderate driver who parked his vehicle wrongly, and they behaved how they usually do in such a situation – move the vehicle themselves. And then they realized they were part of a stunt, but they were more pleased than irritated. We knew that if we could get other SUV owners into the new Nissan Patrol, it would do more than any print ad or sales brochure could.