The Campaign

The automotive industry in India is one of the largest in the world and one of the fastest growing, with the bulk of this growth driven by entry-level cars bought by young consumers under 35. But it is also a highly competitive market with many competing brands hoping to connect with the fickle target audience whose communications needs have dramatically evolved. Nissan launched its Micra model in July 2010, knowing that an engaging social media platform that enabled young consumers to express themselves and play a role in driving the Nissan Micra brand and sales would be critical. Nissan’s “The New Star of India” campaign centred around Facebook was created to leverage the powerful influence of Bollywood. Crowdsourcing engaged the target audience by calling on consumers to participate in first-of-its-kind entirely online audition for a Bollywood movie with Ranbir Kapoor. Participants were asked to upload trial videos, vote and select the lucky co-stars, and help produce the movie by shaping the plot, choosing the music, and even naming characters. Nissan selected the best videos, picked 20 winners and simultaneously began on-ground activity across malls in nine cities to create a buzz on what was in store.

The Brief

1. Increase Nissan’s coverage on Facebook. At the start of the campaign, the number of likes were in the low hundreds. 2. Use media relations to take the message to a wider base and drive traffic to digital channels. 3. Position Nissan Micra as an exciting and vibrant car brand for Indian youth and to directly connect and engage with this key target audience section.

Results

1. Effectively harnessed the power of both social and conventional media 2. Campaign received over 2,300 video auditions and by April 2012, 538,712 people on Facebook liked the Nissan India page; 7,400 people on the site were talking about it 4. Within a month of the launch of the campaign Nissan had the second largest Facebook community in India amongst automakers, with one of the highest engagement rates 5. By February 2012 Nissan India became the first international automobile company in India to cross the 500,000 community fan base on its Facebook page 6. The final 4.5 minute video was seen by 50,722 people on YouTube 7. The Micra saw over 500 test drives across 65 dealers since the launch of the campaign. 8. A two-minute cut of the video was screened across 115 movie theatres in India 9. Nissan has sold nearly 31,000 Micras since launch till end-March 2012

Execution

Media drove awareness for the campaign, creating interest in Nissan India’s Facebook page and later showcasing the winners. To accomplish this, the program extended into smaller towns which enjoy widespread Bollywood influence. In a roadshow that started in Mumbai and travelled across India with live Facebook auditions across India, young aspirants auditioned at high traffic locations. Facebook activity culminated in an extravagant four-and-a-half minute film shot in Ramoji Film City Hyderabad, starring Ranbir Kapoor, 100 Nissan Micras and 20 Facebook winners.

The Situation

In India’s crowded and intensely competitive car market, effective differentiation had become a key challenge, especially at the entry-level car segment. With every other brand claiming similar attributes, the elbow room for differentiation was stifling and the market had become commoditized. Being a late entrant further made difficult Nissan’s efforts at positioning and finding a space for itself in the Indian market. Nissan needed something new to reach a mass youth audience across the country and not just the urban metros where most campaigns focus their efforts.

The Strategy

In October 2011, Nissan created a digital platform that connected the target audiences to Nissan Micra’s brand ambassador, Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor, encouraging consumers to express him/herself through creative and imaginative methods. The idea was to invite the target audience to join in and have control of a product and use their social networks to connect with as wide a youth base as possible. However, in India, traditional media still plays an important role, and the best digital platform can only reach a critical mass when it is covered by mainstream, trade and youth relevant media. The campaign was designed to reach as many audiences as possible through a combination of articles that publicized the digital activity, with regular updates on its success and supporting PR whenever activity such as mall events were arranged.