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Nissan, driven by its daring spirit of innovation and purpose of enriching people’s lives, recently brought to life its bold vision for the future of mobility at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show.
While automakers have the opportunity to unveil new products and technologies at such events, their reach is usually confined to physical attendees. To address this, we took a creative integrated marketing approach to deliver a complete phygital experience led by social media. We went beyond boundaries to showcase our five EV concepts of the future and reinforce our commitment to sustainability by leveraging social media to stage activations to reach our global audience.
Our vision for the show was to demonstrate our unwavering dedication to enriching peoples’ lives to make the world cleaner, safer and more inclusive, and to revolutionizing the electric-vehicle (EV) landscape with transformative products and technologies.
Our target audience extended beyond current customers and general automotive enthusiasts. Instead, we have expanded our target to include younger audiences, such as GenZ, and individuals who may not typically be interested in automobiles.
Online and offline, we delivered immersive experiences for show visitors, virtual guests, media, and influencers, demonstrating Nissan’s vision of the future of mobility.
Bringing Nissan’s electric mobility vision to life in a unique and engaging way was an exciting mission. Together as a united team, we found a solution to this with “Electrifying Excitement”. This saw the unveiling of five concepts representing future consumer lifestyles through symbolic characters like Hide, a gaming motorsports fan, and Masa, an outdoor adventure seeker among others.
To build excitement and momentum leading up to the show, we adopted a phased approach, initiating the campaign with a series of teasers, and activated digital reveals for four of our five concept cars, one per week before the event.
As part of a full-scale integrated campaign, we utilized entertainment including music, animation, and gaming to capture our new audience’s attention and strategically employed multiple external and owned channels to maximize the reach.
A 24-hour YouTube Lo-fi music streaming video, featuring artists using AI to create music, showcased a new concept car each week, attracting newer and younger audiences to Nissan. Additionally, we hosted a livestream Q&A on Instagram and TikTok, providing an interactive concept car design experience. We also developed a mini game featuring our concept cars and characters within the Fortnite metaverse to connect with gamers and younger fans. Finally, an Employee Ambassador program brought Nissan employees in from around the globe to amplify event activities through their own social channels.
This inclusive strategy succeeded in achieving strong pull-through in engagement, garnering outstanding results in social media reach, views, and engagement worldwide. For Nissan, being shortlisted for the Global Social Media Awards’ Best Integrated Campaign recognizes the team’s dedication, creativity and forward-thinking in engaging diverse audiences through immersive digital storytelling.
“Throughout our 90-year heritage, Nissan has been driven to innovate and to dare to do what others don’t. It’s what leads our team to constantly push the envelope and think outside the box.
Our efforts at the 2023 Japan Mobility Show sought to disrupt the traditional approach to motor shows and instead bring the future of mobility to life with a truly holistic phygital experience for a diverse audience. By maximizing social media and the digital space we have reach and engaged with a new, younger generation. Being shortlisted for the “Best Integrated Campaign” in this year’s Global Social Media Awards is a testament and celebration of the team’s daring spirit which drives us to continue exploring new territories and evolving the way we work.” – Lavanya Wadgaonkar, Corporate Vice President, Global Communications, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.
“I am thrilled to share the success story of the Japan Mobility Show 2023. It was an extraordinary event where we transformed the traditional motor show by focusing on consumers and igniting their imagination. Our mission was to inspire them to envision an exciting future beyond automobiles, and we rose to the challenge with great enthusiasm.
To achieve this, we collaborated with creators and harnessed the power of a gaming platform that resonated with the younger generation’s desire for immersive experiences. By understanding our target audience and creating effective communication, we successfully engaged and captivated our audience, delivering an exceptional onsite/online experience. Leveraging the vast reach of social media, we strategically partnered with influencers to amplify our message and connect with a global audience.” – Allyson Witherspoon, Corporate Vice President, Global Marketing, Brand, Merchandising, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd.
