Background

Nissan needed to raise awareness about its 100% electric car, Nissan LEAF and its commitment to sustainability. Standing for true sustainability that goes beyond just being a "green" car, the campaign aimed to impact social and cultural development too. An opportunity arose when an effort to raise awareness about the country’s endangered trees was urgently needed. To go beyond being an environmental initiative, Nissan LEAF revived a dying local art form that champions the beauty of nature–leaf music.

Describe the creative idea

Leaf music is a local art form that was discovered and popularized by National Artist, Levi Celerio. These leaf musicians are rare in the country. Just like them, native trees in the Philippines are also dwindling with nearly a third of native species facing extinction. With rare leaf musicians in the country, we formed the Nissan LEAF Orchestra to create beautiful music in the midst of endangered trees. Without featuring Nissan LEAF’s electric car, the performance served as a reminder to listen to nature presented by a car that breathes new life to it.

Describe the strategy

For Nissan LEAF, standing for sustainability goes beyond being a “green” car. It stands for preserving a future worth being excited about–not just environmentally, but socially and culturally too. Staying true to this holistic commitment of sustainability, an effort to raise awareness about the country’s endangered trees was vital. Nissan LEAF also saw an opportunity to breathe new life to a dying local art form that champions the beauty of nature–leaf music.

Describe the execution

A nationwide search for the country's rare leaf musicians was launched. After months of searching through different Philippine provinces, two rare leaf musicians in a small village in Bohol were discovered. A father and his son whom he trained in the art of leaf music. They comprised the Nissan LEAF Orchestra along with a pianist and string musicians. The performance was documented in the midst of endangered trees at Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape in Bohol. Two films for the performances of "Silent Night" and "Deck the Halls" were released on Nissan's Facebook and Youtube page on December 23 and 24 respectively.

Describe the outcome

The LEAF Orchestra sparked huge interest in the Nissan LEAF. The performance led to a 53% increase in Nissan Electric Car searches. The films gained massive reach with 70% engagement on Facebook and performed higher than Nissan’s View-Through-Rate benchmark on Youtube. It also drove significant interest to the website with a 6% Click-Through-Rate over the usual Nissan Click-Through-Rate of less than 1%. Nissan LEAF contributed 19% of the total Nissan online conversation during the campaign period doubling its Share of Voice against other electric car competitors. Best of all, the performance sparked conversations and positive sentiments about Nissan and its commitment towards sustainability.