2014 Winners & Shortlists

The Brief

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 a responsive medium to prove that our features were best-in-class, in a path-breaking manner.

Describe how the promotion developed from concept to implementation

We first created a new platform - Challenge. Our 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.

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

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 using digital media to let the audience challenge the Patrol, we claimed and proved why it is The Hero of All Terrain.

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

We needed to prove the skeptics wrong; we needed people to know, feel and experience the features themselves. Increasing sales was critical. But so was building a stronger brand image. We didn't want to just say but prove that Nissan Patrol is the SUV that can overcome any challenge - even the ones set by you. We believed that the Patrol’s features enable it to take on any challenge relevant to our target audience’s driving needs – which was a strong campaign platform for the Nissan Patrol and Nissan as a brand.