As Nissan seeks a bigger foothold in the sizzling pickup truck
market, the Japanese automaker is making an unusual call-out to more
dominant U.S. brands. But whether or not the first TV ad for the all-new
Titan XD comes off as a tribute to Chevy, Ford and Dodge -- or a
backhanded compliment -- will be left to viewers to decide.
The campaign broke Monday night during the College Football Playoff
National Championship game on ESPN. The 90-second ad, called "Shoulders
of Giants," begins with an emotional tone, showing children idolizing
parents, firefighters, astronauts and athletes. Then, the kicker: "To
those who go before us -- Chevy, Ford, Dodge. Thank you. We see the way
forward."
The agency is TBWAChiatDay.
At first glance the ad might appear to be taking a subtle shot at the
competition. After all, the Chevy, Ford and Dodge trucks shown are all
old and a bit dusty. Meanwhile, Nissan's Titan XD appears at the end of
the ad bright and shiny, barreling out of a garage into a scenic
mountain range.
But Nissan executives said the ad is meant to honor their more
established foes, rather than bash them, and truck enthusiasts who watch
the ad closely will get that. "We know and understand in the truck
world that you have to show respect to earn respect of a typical truck
buyer," said Fred Diaz, Nissan North America's division VP and general
manager for trucks and light commercial vehicles. "And we wanted to to
do that in a very true and authentic way without it at all coming across
that we are giving a backhanded compliment to our competitors."
The older trucks in the ad were picked because "those trucks are
actually icons in truck culture, so each one of them represents an
evolution for trucks," said Jeremy Tucker, Nissan North America's VP of
marketing communications and media.
The competing trucks shown include the 1972 Chevy C10, which was
known for bridging the gap between a work truck and a daily driving
vehicle, Nissan executives said. Also shown is a 1985 Dodge truck that
was the first truck with a Cummins diesel engine (the Titan XD uses a
Cummins 5.0L V8 Turbo Diesel); and a 1995 Ford F-150 that was co-branded
with Eddie Bauer and a had a luxury interior, Nissan executives said.
"Each of these trucks are worthy of genuine recognition. And from a
Nissan perspective, we look forward to being included among them in the
future," Mr. Tucker said.
If Nissan's truck is mentioned in the same conversation as Chevy,
Ford and Dodge, that would be a victory, considering the stranglehold
the three brands have on the market. The Ford F series led all truck
sales in 2015 with 780,354 vehicles, followed by Chevrolet Silverado
(600,544) and Dodge's Ram pickup (451,116), according to Ad Age
affiliate Automotive News.
Nissan's Titan XD aims to hit a sweet spot in the truck market with a
truck that is big, but not too big. In an interview with Automotive
News late last year, IHS Automotive senior analyst Stephanie Brinley
described it as a "tweener" strategy: "There are people every year who
buy light-duty pickups and wish they had gotten a bigger truck," Brinley said.
"And people who buy medium-duty pickups and wish they had gotten
something smaller. Nissan estimates there about 150,000 of those buyers a
year. If they could capture half of them, they'll be doing great."
"We've positioned this truck with the refinement of a light-duty but
the capability of a heavy-duty, which gives you the best of both
worlds," Mr. Diaz told Ad Age. Asked about sales goals, he said Nissan
does not have a "false premise that we are going to come in here and
overtake the big three domestic [brands] overnight." Rather, Nissan
wants to make a statement that "we are here to compete and we have a
truck that will compete," he said.
Marketing will play up the truck's U.S. roots, calling it the
"American Titan." That is a nod to the fact that it was planned in
Tennessee (where Nissan North America is based), designed in California,
engineered in Michigan, tested in Arizona and assembled in Mississippi,
according to Nissan.
The campaign's debut during the National Championship game continues
Nissan's marketing strategy of targeting big sports and cultural events.
Last year's championship game between Ohio State and Oregon drew more
than 33 million viewers.
This year's contest between Clemson and Alabama is not as
interregional, featuring two teams from the South. But that plays right
into Nissan's favor, Mr. Tucker suggested. "If you think about where our
consumers are," he said, "the South definitely is truck country."
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