2014 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

Nissan 370Z is for adrenaline pumped males that “really care about being ahead of the other guy”; that’s why the ‘Speed Personified’ in 2012 positioned it as a speed icon and increased sales. However the potential for sales was much higher. This was observed through the large number of people who test drove the car but did not buy it; we call them “Rejecters.” Our strategy for 2013 was to reposition the 370Z by introducing an entry grade that removes the luxury element while maintaining the same engine and sporty look. That made 370Z “Within the Reach” of our TA (Rejecters) while still keeping it “Out of Reach” of competitor cars.

Creative Execution

Instead of investing heavily, we utilized our existing database and tapped into the Rejecters. We believed that this would smartly position the 370Z within the category and set it apart. We used a region’s-first media targeting technique: Facebook’s 'Custom Audience Targeting', to scope the Rejecters online and serve each social profile with personalized flyer ads. We then unleashed the ‘other guy’ (Friend Targeting), by manually browsing Rejecters’ FB profiles and offering their friend a 370Z weekend getaway treat, on the condition they take their friend (the Rejecter) with them in the 370Z. We also stalked the ‘lookalikes’. By using Facebook’s 'Look-alike Audience Targeting' we were able to reach a wider range of profiles of our Rejecters.

Describe the creative solution to the brief/objective.

Our challenge came along with a good opportunity. We had the database of all the current rejecters which gave us the starting point in retargeting them. After all, these are the guys who showed interest in the car and we redesigned the 370Z to answer their needs. Therefore they should be the easiest ones to convince to purchase. At this point our campaign journey had become clear. Just like a stalker obsessed with someone, our mission was set to start with shy inquiries; build up with creeping-up on our rejectors’ whereabouts and finally conclude with an upclose and personal confrontation: “Hello, I’m within your reach, take me”.

Results

•During the period of Jan-June 2013, the sales increased by 325% compared to 2012. In other terms, we successfully sold 240% more than last year’s full stock within six months only. •When it comes to market share, the share of 370Z increased from 11% to 41%, becoming the category leader. The market share of BMW Z4 dropped from 39.5% to 18.5% •Our stalking approach managed to covert a massive 32% of the rejecters into actual buyers. Source: Nissan Middle East sales data - 2012-2013.