Nissan: NISSAN & THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Credits & Description:

Advertiser: NISSAN
Agency: MANNING GOTTLIEB OMD
Category: Cars & Automotive Services
Strategy Director: Dilip Shukla (TBWA)
Executive Director/Head Of Creativity: Michael Florence (Manning Gottlieb OMD)
Senior Planner: Rachel Morgan-Jones (Manning Gottlieb OMD)
Account Manager: Lewis Young (Manning Gottlieb OMD)
Account Director: Claire Willetts (TBWA)
Account Manager: Ally Malloy (DNA)
Acount Director: Glenn Burchnall (Manning Gottlieb OMD)
Account Manager: Richard Haywood (Manning Gottlieb OMD)
Account Director: Stephen Beasley (DNA)

Strategy
Nissan desired a 6% increase in measured opinion for Juke, challenging us to ensure brand communications clearly delivered ‘innovation’ and ‘excitement’ associations. Research showed the existing creative assets weren’t having the desired effect. We radically needed to boost engagement, so investigated creative ways to gain attention. As budget did not exist to entirely refresh the campaign we needed an original remedy.We believed that JUKE stood apart from other cars. In fact, we always thought it looked like a modern day batmobile. When research revealed our audience were regular cinema goers, with huge anticipation for the finale of the Dark Knight trilogy, we had an idea. Why not borrow some of the positive Batman opinion, and content, by creating a completely original media partnership. Our mission was to make the JUKE the Batmobile of the car market.

Execution
We brokered a deal with Warner Bros to make an official Juke Batmobile. Warner Bros were so enthused they offered their storyboard artist to make the additional assets to complement the creation, which went on to unlock an arsenal of £750k worth assets and prizes. In effect, allowing Juke to play in a city that the rest of the car market couldn’t access: Gotham CityWhat’s more, our digital savvy audience could interact with ‘Blippable’ ad content, exclusive film footage and rich digital formats created with the producers of the film. The Juke audience could go to the premiere, win trips to zip-wire between planes and even get a free trilogy DVD with every test drive. Whatever the touchpoint it was clear that Juke’s thrill was inextricably linked with the Dark Knight.

Effectiveness
We were supremely confident our one off Juke Batmobile, and surrounding content, would radically drive measured opinion with our 2m core ‘Attention Seeker’ audience.It worked immediately: -Bang: Sales up 33% year on year-Boom: 10% increase in model opinion. -Smash: Top 10 best-selling car, for the first time ever-50% increase in ‘excitement’ association-80% increase in ‘Innovation’ measure -58% more likely to buy a JUKE100% accountable to the Juke Batmobile activity.Nice one Batman!