2014 Winners & Shortlists

PATROL CHALLENGE

BrandNISSAN MIDDLE EAST
Product/ServicePATROL
EntrantTBWA\RAAD Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Entrant Company TBWA\RAAD Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Advertising Agency TBWA\RAAD Dubai, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

The Campaign

In 2010, the Nissan Patrol was launched as The Hero of All Terrain. Our high-end model sales managed to overcome the leader, Toyota Land Cruiser, in that segment. But the bigger market share (over 80%) was in the lower-grade model and this was huge potential for growth that was not tapped into. In the highly-competitive SUV segment, superior features define the purchase decision. But with SUV press ads communicating catalogue-style features without benefits, ATL communication became a sea of sameness. There was only talk, no engagement. Our insight was that people don’t believe claims; they want proof. So we needed to let them decide how to put the Patrol to the test, in the toughest ways possible.

Success of the Campaign

We didn’t just break through the sales barrier; we broke a Guinness World Record. - The Patrol Challenge site registered 600,000 interactions. - 600 challenges were submitted by users. - Over 10,000 people voted to choose the final challenge. - Over 1 million views on YouTube. - 50 stories generated in Print, Online & Broadcast. - More importantly, sales increased by 30% and market share increased by 33.33% (Source: Nissan Middle East Sales Data 2012-2013). By inviting the audience to challenge the Patrol, we claimed and proved why it is The Hero of All Terrain.

Describe how the campaign/entry was launched and executed across each channel in the order of implementation.

We first created a new platform - Challenge. The print campaign showed how each feature overcame a challenge. To create user-generated content, we used TV, facebook and banners to drive people to our microsite and challenge the Patrol. 600 challenges were submitted and an eminent panel shortlisted 10. Then we asked people to vote and they chose “Patrol pulling a cargo plane”. This was a risk. But to prove that Patrol could take on the toughest challenge, we decided it should pull the heaviest commercial aircraft, a Russian Cargo Plane weighing 170 tons, and set a new Guinness World Record. This beat the record set last year by the Toyota Tundra which pulled the Endeavour space shuttle weighing 150 tons. The Patrol Challenge was witnessed by government officials, the Guinness team, as well as key TV and print media, making it the most talked about automotive event in the region.

Credits

Name Company Role
Saad Gharzeddine TBWA/Raad Senior Account Director
Natasha Monteiro TBWA/Raad Senior Account Manager
Fadi Awada TBWA/Raad Account Manager
Gerard Fadel TBWA/Raad Account Executive
Guido Pecego TBWA/Raad Associate Creative Director
Dan Jacques TBWA/Raad Copywriter
Moe Shehebar TBWA/Raad Senior Arabic Copywriter
Sumanth Wilkins TBWA/Raad Senior Art Director
Sandeep Fernandes TBWA/Raad Creative Director
Jamal Hilal Nissan Middle East Brand Manager
Katib Belkhodja Nissan Middle East Brand Manager
Lara Ayoub Agha Nissan Middle East Assistant Brand Manager
Melhem Najem Mindshare MENA Director – Client Leadership
Yara Maroun Mindshare MENA Account Manager
Luke Morris Mindshare MENA Senior Account Manager Digital
Lina Chalak Mindshare MENA Senior Account Executive Digital
Shiboo Shamz Mindshare MENA Digital Project Manager
Steve Haddad Mindshare MENA Account Executive
Yolande Pineda Nissan Middle East General Manager Corp Comms
Reham Eldidi Nissan Middle East Assistant Manager Corp Comms