Nissan wanted to take advantage of a new car launch as an opportunity to ignite their brand around the world. So, rather than launch one car in one market, they launched six vehicles and inspired marketing activities all over the globe.

The first media buy was the CEO. Carlos Ghosn would deliver the first “ad” by incorporating the company’s SHIFT_ message in a kick-off press conference. This, of course, was no simple press release, as Nissan created an entire Nissan Motor Show. The show itself was beamed all over Japan in public spaces. In addition, the message was sent out internally to every Nissan office on five continents. Other elements of the campaign included a :60 second TV and the unprecedented media move of buying the front page of a newspaper to announce and espouse the brand’s philosophy. Web and other channels were also utilised for maximum effect. Shortly after the launch, CEO Carlos Ghosn launched his book, entitled, SHIFT_.