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Phil DiMartino In planning out projects with our clients, we’re always hyper-focused on their objectives. How much do you want to spend on this? What do you want to accomplish? When does it need to be done? And most importantly, who is it for?
That last question is the one that’s most important. Your audience drives all the other objectives of a project, because if you don’t connect with them, the best video, article, or podcast in the world won’t matter.
We’re constantly preaching the need to meet your clients where they are. And a recent ad campaign by Nissan proves that if you do that, you will get results.
When you think of a car commercial, there’s probably a specific format that comes to mind. Sleek product imagery of a car zipping around hairpin turns. A booming voiceover laying out features. Small print with pricing and terms like APR.
And for the most part, they all blend in together into a sea of sameness. There are so many of these commercials that all feel the same – they struggle to grab your attention for even the thirty seconds they’re on your screen.
Nissan bucked the trend with a four hour ad partnering with the wildly popular YouTuber Lofi Girl. This ad has racked up more than 18 million views, and the sentiment around it is largely positive.
It’s an incredibly simple video – an animated woman driving a Nissan Ariya down an endless road, passing cityscapes and Nissan billboards along the way. All the while she vibes to the familiar sounds of relaxing Lofi Beats.
Nissan showed that when you meet your clients where they are, you can be successful.
One comment from user JWEATHERSBY read, “I’ve been letting this ad run for 20 minutes. I’ve sent it to friends, saved it in my favorites, and hadn’t ever considered a Nissan before – but who knows now? I genuinely want to shake the hand of whoever greenlit this in the advertising department. It’s a very normal chillhop reel, but that’s what’s so uncommon and endearing about it. Amazing job & sincere kudos for having your finger on the pulse on this one!”
Another from Sako3918 praised the video as study aid, saying “This legit helped me get over my stress and anxiety, I’m adding this to my playlist. I listen to this when I’m gonna sleep or do homework. I’m studying for a test and I’m gonna listen to this on loop! When I grow up, my first car will be a Nissan.”
It’s rare for any ad to generate positive sentiment. But a four hour ad? That’s unheard of.
Views are great, and most companies would take the awareness win and happily walk away. But this campaign didn’t end with people vibing to lofi beats and walking away.
In an interview with Marketing Brew, Nissan CMO Allyson Witherspoon said that the campaign led to a significant uptick in search for the car in the video. As Marketing Brew reports, “Nissan saw a 75% lift in product search for the Ariya between February 1 and March 8 compared to the month prior, exceeding its goal of 50%–60%.”
Additionally, Witherspoon told Marketing Brew that Nissan has added more than 27,000 channel subscribers since launching the video. This means 27,000 more people getting notified every time Nissan posts a more traditional ad about the Ariya – maybe one that will push some of those folks to think about visiting a dealership.
Next time you’re working on a video project for a tricky audience like a population of young alumni, think back to this campaign. The most important part of a video project is getting your audience to click play, and to stick around and watch. All of the slick messaging and impact statements in the world only matter if people are actually seeing them.
There’s also a long play involved here. An ad like this Nissan commercial builds serious good feelings about the brand. Lodged in the heads of 18 million plus viewers is the idea that Nissan gets it. That will go a very long way next time they’re served up an ad for a car, or when they’re deciding which dealership to visit to buy their next (or first) car.
Do you need ideas on how to meet your clients where they are? Give us a shout and we’ll help you come up with video ideas to crack even the toughest of audiences.
