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In the past 30 years of operation, the massive Nissan manufacturing facility in Smyrna, Tenn. has held numerous milestone Job One ceremonies, marking the beginning of production of a new vehicle or a significant model changeover. But this week, the badge on the hood of the vehicle rolling off the assembly line represented something entirely new – the very first Infiniti built at the plant, and the first luxury vehicle ever built in the state of Tennessee.
Among the guests joining the celebration were Nissan Americas Vice Chairman Bill Krueger, Vice President Manufacturing Smyrna – Decherd Susan Brennan, Infiniti Americas Vice President Ben Poore and U.S. Representative Scott DesJarlais. Also attending were Smyrna employees, with others watching a live broadcast. “We are extremely honored to be building this world-class vehicle, right here in Middle Tennessee,” said Brennan. “We expect the inspired design and quality craftsmanship built into every new Infiniti that rolls off the production line in Smyrna will deliver inspired performance that is second to none.” The all-new 2013 Infiniti JX is scheduled to go on sale at Infiniti retailers nationwide in late March. “In JX, we have created the next great luxury family vehicle – one with seductive design, sophisticated craftsmanship, a roomy interior, innovations that make life more efficient, and advanced safety features,” added Poore. “I’m proud to say it’s built right here in Tennessee!”
Courtesy of Nissan Media
The auto industry will spend $1.2 billion this year on social media advertising. With all that cash up for grabs, one might expect car makers to turn to Facebook and Twitter heavyweights Ashton Kutcher or Justin Bieber for their online marketing. But not Nissan. To launch its new line of Juke cars in the U.S., the Japanese auto company is entrusting its brand, in the words of one rep, to "virtual nobodies...two relatively unknown men with zero celebrity status."
The "virtual nobodies" are Jason Sadler and Evan White, the duo behind social media service I Wear Your Shirt, a marketing company that can be rented on a daily basis to promote brands on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The pair will wear whatever apparel the sponsor chooses, acting as human billboards. As odd as that sounds, I Wear Your Shirt has attracted big names such as Doritos and Zappos, and the pair's shirt availability is sold out through 2011.
Nissan is the biggest brand yet to hire the pair, and they're not only renting their chest space. This week, Sadler and White are driving around the only two Nissan Jukes currently available in the U.S, and recording their experience through social media.
"It's so different than traditional advertising, like going to auto shows or getting bloggers to do reviews on the cars," says Sadler, the company's founder. "We are real people and real customers. Let us actually get in the car and tell people what's cool."
Sadler and White will spend the week promoting the car with Facebook posts about the car, tweets about the experience, and funny antics in and around the car for YouTube videos. The idea is to create what Sadler calls "grassroots content," which will resonate with the company's strong social media following. And the cost for Nissan? Around $1,000. Technically, they're just paying for shirt space.
"It costs them almost nothing," says Sadler. "We have an audience up to around 50,000 daily. If we have just one person buy a car, the ROI on that is tremendous."
In other words, I Wear Your Shirt offers a counter balance to celebrities who want to charge a few thousand dollars for a handful of tweets -- and to Twitter itself, which is charging $100,000 for promoted Tweets. While Ashton Kutcher and Kim Kardashian might have more followers than I Wear Your Shirt, the costs for purchasing sponsorship may outweigh the benefits of a Facebook post or Twitpic.
"Social media is still so new," Sadler says. "You might spend a ton of money for someone with a ton of followers or fans, and then get absolutely nothing--it may just be a flash in the pan. You'll realize that you dropped $100,000 on something that doesn't last, and just gets lost in the mix. Nissan is not really taking that chance, because it's not costing them much at all."
Courtesy of Mansueto Ventues LLC
Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) today launched a social media-directed Nissan 370Z build-up called “Project 370Z” at the Chicago Auto Show – where the upcoming 2013 Nissan 370Z is also being previewed. The goal of the project is to utilize the passion and knowledge of Nissan Z® fans online to help direct the creation of a unique, one-off Nissan 370Z utilizing readily available aftermarket parts and accessories. Fans will vote on potential modifications and follow along with the progress online through facebook.com/nissanperformance.
“Car companies build project vehicles all the time, but we thought it’d be interesting to harness the power of social media to reach out to Z® enthusiasts – the people who are doing this to their own cars everyday,” said Jon Brancheau, vice president, Nissan Marketing, NNA. “Together we’ll create a vehicle that expands on the already outstanding performance and style of the Nissan 370Z with a balance of street and track ready modifications. Then we’ll share the finished project at upcoming Z® car enthusiast gatherings around the country.” Project 370Z will be built in several phases – power, handling/brakes, interior and exterior. Fan Likes, Comments and Wall Posts will be reviewed over the course of each voting session and the part or accessory with the most fan support will be chosen for the build. For example, in the initial Power Phase, fans might vote between a turbocharger or supercharger for the factory 3.7-liter V6. Phase 2 may include suspension and braking system, since the finished vehicle is expected to see substantial track time. Fans will take part and share in every aspect right up until the final design is revealed at its planned debut set for late May at the annual “ZDayZ” event. ZDayZ is an annual Z® car enthusiast gathering that takes place in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. Each year the event draws hundreds of Nissan Z®, GT-R and other Nissan performance car enthusiasts from all over North America. This year's ZDayZ will be held on May 17-20. Attendees will participate in a car show, exhaust sound-off, dyno competition, group dinners and multiple group drives – including runs on ”The Tail of the Dragon,” which has 318 curves over an 11-mile stretch of scenic Tennessee mountain highway. “We’re excited to see how this group-sourced Z® will come out and how it will perform on both the street and track,” said Brancheau. “Social media has become a powerful communications tool and a great way for us to stay connected with our tremendous fan base. Immediacy, like social media itself, is another benefit of Project 370Z – which will be built from start to finish in less than four months.” In addition to its debut at ZDayZ, Project 370Z will be shown at other enthusiast events such as ZCON 2012 and the 2012 SEMA show. The finished 370Z will also be made available for testing by leading enthusiast publications, forums and blogs. The 2013 Nissan 370Z, which goes on sale at Nissan dealers nationwide in June 2012, features a number of enhancements – including a revised front fascia with vertical LED daytime running lights.
Courtesy of Nissan Media
