Nissan GT Academy: GT ACADEMY USA SEASON 2

Credits & Description:

Advertiser: NISSAN NORTH AMERICA
Agency: TBWA\CHIAT\DAY
Category: Best Integrated Campaign Led by Promotion and Activation
Advertising campaign: GT ACADEMY USA SEASON 2
Executive Producer: Brian O'rourke (TBWA\CHIAT\DAY)
Executive Producers: Frank Scherma (Radical Media)
Executive Producers: Dave O'Connor (Radical Media)
Second Screen: Gene Ho (Critical Mass)
Editors: Greg Young (Venice Beach Editorial)
CW/AD: Haruhito Nisawadaira (TBWA\CHIAT\DAY)
Account Team: Jeananne Gr (TBWA\CHIAT\DAY)
Creative Director/Americas: Karl Dunn (TBWA\CHIAT\DAY)
Post Producer: Jesse Overman (Radical Media)
Event Directors: Laurence Wilshire (GTA Global)
Second Screen: Joey Camacho (Critical Mass)
Story Producers: Lindsay Panell (Radical Media)
Editors: Peter Smith (Venice Beach Editorial)
Second Screen: Philippe Clairo (Critical Mass)
Account Team: Patrick Jones (TBWA\CHIAT\DAY)
Story Producers: Sarina Roma (Radical Media)
Story Producers: Samantha Storr (Radical Media)
CW/AD: Takahiro Hosoda (TBWA\CHIAT\DAY)
Post Producer: Tita Poe (Radical Media)
Creative Directors: Steve Savic (Critical Mass)
Producer: Tim Newfang (TBWA\CHIAT\DAY)
Account Team: Val Tyll (TBWA\CHIAT\DAY)
Account Team: Bonnie Schwartz (TBWA\CHIAT\DAY)
Art Directors: Darren Wood (Critical Mass)
Second Screen: James Guerin (Critical Mass)
Director: Jeff Zwart (Radical Media)
Copywriter: John Hamilton (Critical Mass)
Post Producer: Liz Friesell Mason (Radical Media)
Creative Directors: Michael McGrath-Sing (Critical Mass)
Story Producers: Michael Pantaleo (Radical Media)
Sr. Copywriter: Alex Goulart (TBWA\CHIAT\DAY)
Account Team: Craig Werwa (TBWA\CHIAT\DAY)
Sr. Art Director: Joao Medeiros (TBWA\CHIAT\DAY)
Co. Executive Producer: Larry Struber (Radical Media)
Event Directors: Martin Smith (GTA Global)
Post Producer: Meredith Kaulfers (Radical Media)
Account Team: Peter Bracegirdle (TBWA\CHIAT\DAY)
Executive Director Of Integrated Production: Richard O'Neill (TBWA\CHIAT\DAY)
Global Creative President: Rob Schwartz (TBWA\CHIAT\DAY)
Art Directors: Steve Buckingham (Critical Mass)
Creative Director/Americas: Tito Melega (TBWA\CHIAT\DAY)

Outcome
- 400,000 people entered the competition, 8x more than last year, spending thousands of hoursdriving the 370Zs in the game.- The show aired on our new network, where 7 million viewers tuned in, eclipsing last year’sratings and creating demand for re-airs on MTV2.- Reaffirmed GT Academy as a successful branded enterprise for Nissan and put in motionplans for a global program.- A virtual racer, Steve Doherty, actually became a real racecar driver proving success with hisfinish at the 24-hour Dubai race in January.- Promotional efforts for the show on SPIKE delivered over 80MM impressions across TV, onlineand PR.

Relevancy
Over 80% of millennials play console videogames (TNS 2009) and nearly half of Gran Turismo players use the game to research vehicles they are interested in buying (Frank Magid Associates 2007). Historical data from a previous Nissan racing game tournament brand study proved positive lifts in all key brand metrics.The combination of gaming tournament and branded content around events proved just how realistic GT5 is as a racing simulator. And the fact that a gamer stepped behind the wheel of a Nissan racecar and succeeded on the track speaks volumes about the innovation and racing pedigree of the vehicles.

Client Brief Or Objective
Nissan & Sony came together to create the second year of GT Academy in the USA: a multiplatform program that offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to take your driving skills from virtual to reality and become a professional racer. The consumer enjoyed the ride with gaming, events, branded entertainment and social media.The project assimilated over 7 hours of different branded content in multiple mediums including websites, Facebook, PR activations, the PlayStation Network and a prime-time reality TV series of five 30-minute episodes and 1-hour long finale airing this year on SPIKE.Ultimately, GT Academy gave tens of thousands of motorsport & gaming enthusiasts a chance to actually fulfill their dream of racing real cars.

Implementation
The creative solution was spread throughout the year with four phases:1) On-line tournament in which gamers from across the country competed in Nissan vehicles to set their best GT5 times on PlayStation 3 consoles.2) National Final event at Comic-Con in San Diego where the top 32 gamers raced head-to-head on GT5 to determine the best 16.3) GT Academy where 16 endured on & off the track challenges at the famous Silverstone trackin England to decide one Champion.4) Driver Development Program in which the GT Academy champion races in the USA and abroad for the Nissan team.