With Tivo & DVR, more people are scanning right past commercials. If a company brings authentic value to the marketplace, then people will want to associate with that brand. And one of the quickest routes to the hearts of customers is through an engaging story. Ideally not a fairy tale, but a true story – one that demonstrates why the brand is unique & compelling.

Brands are now part of everyday life and companies have more occasions to connect with consumers. There have never been as many media opportunities to tell a story. However, consumers have less interest in being sold to, making the need for authentic messaging and organic execution essential. “Brought to you by” isn’t enough. And overt “bite and smile” content that loudly calls out

the brand does more harm than good.

Effective Branded Entertainment is entertaining while baking the Brand into the story. Success starts with development of an idea versus “band-aiding” the brand identity to fit a media buy or third-party story. A company must know what makes a good story and find their place within that structure. Nissan & Gran Turismo 5 are seamlessly integrated as main characters in the GT Academy story.

The project required integrating two brands and briefs:

1) With over 40 years of racing innovation but no official team currently in the U.S., Nissan

wanted to demonstrate their performance profile to an audience of passionate millennial

drivers.

2) With the launch of Gran Turismo 5, Sony PlayStation wanted to prove their game was the most

realistic driver simulator on the market.

Nissan & Sony came together to create the second year of GT Academy in the USA: a multiplatform

program that offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to take your driving skills from virtual to reality and become a professional racer. The consumer enjoyed the ride with gaming, events, branded entertainment and social media.

The platform was spread throughout the year with four phases:

1) On-line tournament in which gamers from across the country competed in Nissan vehicles to

set their best GT5 times on PlayStation 3 consoles.

2) National Final event at Comic-Con in San Diego where the top 32 gamers raced head-to-head

on GT5 to determine the best 16.

3) GT Academy where 16 endured on and off the track challenges to decide one Champion.

4) Driver Development Program in which the GT Academy champion races in the USA and

abroad for the Nissan team.

The project assimilated over 7 hours of different branded content in multiple mediums including websites, Facebook, PR activations, the PlayStation Network and a prime-time reality TV series of five 30 minute episodes and 1-hour long finale airing this year on SPIKE.

Ultimately, GT Academy gave tens of thousands of motor sport and gaming enthusiasts a chance to actually fulfill their dream of racing real cars.

An online media blitz and PR/social effort kicked off the program. Then a calculated push of contestant-specific content surfaced on-line (web sites, blogs, PSN) with a profile video for each of the top 16 gamers.

The Facebook page delivered real-time behind the scene content during the TV show through a unique/engaging second screen experience. There was even a live chat of questions/answers with contestants during the show who fans could interact with live. Behind the scenes videos of the massive production efforts spread buzz for the upcoming TV series.

Promotional efforts for the show on SPIKE delivered over 80MM impressions across TV, online and

PR. SPIKE proved to be a natural fit for the show, with over 86% of the viewers rating the show positively and 73% indicating Nissan purchase intent.

-400,000 people entered the competition, compared to 53,000 in 2011.

-The show aired on our new network, where 7m viewers tuned in, eclipsing last year’s ratings and creating demand for re-airs on MTV2.

-Reaffirmed GT Academy as a successful branded enterprise for Nissan and put in motion plans for a global program.

- In a post show study, 73% indicated Nissan purchase intent.

-A virtual racer actually became a real racecar driver. Steve Doherty, an unemployed gamer

from Illinois, became the second US GT Academy winner and began his racing career, proving

success with his finish at the 24-hour Dubai race in January.