Nissan was faced with the challenge of cultivating an innovative brand image and facilitating understanding of its symbolic self-driving technology. We therefore undertook a radical disruption in our strategy; that is, we converted the experience into content. By utilizing automated driving technology, create a completely new branded entertainment experience - not in the mobility sphere - but in the life arena. The result was a new creative strategy that generate completely new results. This is precisely work that epitomizes the creative strategy category.　

NISSAN supports the NBA JAPAN GAMES.

It is the world's most prestigious game, with over 60,000 arena spectators and fans from around the world watching the live broadcast in a frenzy.

We set out to showcase Nissan's technology to fans and to instill an image of an innovative brand.

But no one is interested in the commercials that play between games. They don't remember that logo on the court. We had to think disruptively, to turn Nissan technology into content, and give the fans watching the game a brand experience they would never forget.

Nissan was ahead of anyone else in the Japanese market in launching automated driving technology. Today, however, all players are advertising massively, with automated driving as a symbol of advanced technology. As a result, Nissan's was no longer synonymous with automated driving, and the company lost out to competitors such as Toyota in terms of an innovative image. Accordingly, we interpreted the similarity of communication, not the similarity of technology, as the barrier to business, and concluded that we should innovate our methods. And rather than mass communication, we devised a brand experience that allows people to experience the surprise and excitement of technology in their daily lives. In the face of a deluge of news about the technology itself and the difficulties of diminishing influence, we could turn the topic of technology into a topic of everyone's lives, making it pervasive and diffused.　

On partnering with NBA JAPAN GAMES, we thoroughly delved into the consumer journey and insight of the spectator. However, it ran into major difficulties. For spectators craving the excitement of the NBA, brand exposure was a hindrance and an impediment to excitement. We broke through such difficulties with a completely contrarian approach to sponsorship. An approach that would create brand experiences not in the throes of excitement, but in moments of boredom. We hacked the halftime court-cleaning, the moment in basketball when the excitement cools down the most. We used the court at half-time as a medium to create a brand experience, using a mop installed with self-driving technology. The upshot of this was to defy all audience expectations and conjure up magical moments that kept the eyes and mobile cameras glued to the Nissan brand experience.　

We devised a strategy rooted in a thorough analysis of the audience's consumer journey and insights.

Methods already exist to elevate brand exposure in sponsorship of sporting events.

However, fans are too excited about their dream match to be interested in brand names exposed on the court or LEDs or branded content displayed in the arena. How could we capture their insights and engage them?

Our answer? Half-time. The most tedious part of the match, when the excitement slumps and people go to the bathroom

or fiddle with phones.

We dared to hack the boring halftime and turned it into an eye-catching brand experience.

The never-before-seen brand experience made possible by Nissan's technology easily transcended the arena, which was attended by 60,000 people.

Despite zero media costs, the audience who witnessed the event with their own eyes and recorded videos became the media, spreading the event around the world. Consequently, the event succeeded in producing the best results in Nissan's history.

・Video views 41,650,000+

・Over 2,000,000 social engagements

・Over 97,460,000 social impression

・Articles in sports / tech media around the world（2,581 news articles in 47 countries）

・about ¥610,000,000 earned media

・Record site traffic for ProPilot self-driving technology.

After the buzz, Nissan has been inundated with inquiries from entertainment events around the world.

The day may soon come when Nissan's automated mops are scrubbing floors in your country.

We implemented a creative idea using the NBA Japan Games stage as a medium.

There were two discounting factors impacting upon the efficacy: First, nobody in the target audience wanted brand exposure at a coveted sports festival; Second, the self-driving technology we wanted to convey was tedious by itself. We had to break through both of these with a creative strategy and creative idea.