Nissan’s new marketing campaign “Tough Love”--including a music video and product demonstrations-- features rock icon Brett Michaels
Marketing efforts focus on one theme: "The tougher we test them, the more you love them"
The campaign is set at Nissan's Arizona Testing Center and highlights more than 6,600 durability tests; vehicles tested including the NV Passenger, NV200 Compact vans, and NV Cargo
The “Tough Love” video is a spinoff of ‘80s classic "Endless Love"; access the free download of the song at NissanToughLove.com
Nissan has brought on Brett Michaels to assist them in launching their new “Tough Love” marketing campaign. Aimed at promoting their commercial vans, the campaign utilizes both print and digital means to promote their durable vans on a range of social media and digital platforms, including Cars Direct, Auto Trader, Google, Fortune, Entrepreneur Inc., Bizo, KBB, Edmunds, and AOL.
The “Tough Love” campaign targets small business owners searching for durable, reliable, and efficient cargo and passenger vehicles. The theme line, “The tougher we test them, the more you love them,” aptly captures the rigorous tests these vans withstood. Testing procedures took place over the course of three months and included the vehicles being put through a salt spray tunnel, frame twister, shaker machine, rigorous brake tests, and a 140-degree heat chamber. Videos of each test are available for viewing at NissanNews.com.
"As one of the newest nameplates in the commercial vehicle segment, we want to bring attention to the operational efficiency of our innovative, durable Nissan NV Cargo, NV Passenger and NV200 Cargo vans – but do it in a way that gets business owners' attention," said Fred Diaz, senior vice president, Nissan Sales & Marketing and Operations, Nissan North America, Inc. "Bret Michaels, with his reputation as an enduring icon of rock, was not only a perfect fit for the vehicles, he was also a valued collaborator in developing the Tough Love campaign. With his entrepreneurial spirit, he understands the needs of small business owners for trucks you can depend on."
Brett Michaels took a strong interest in the testing process at the Arizona Testing Center in Stanfield, Arizona. In addition to filming the full-length feature music video which offers a new take on the 80’s classic “Endless Love,” Michaels showed his enthusiasm for cars and motorcycles by relating the durability tests to his own life. "Bret Michaels is a true hardcore car and motorcycle enthusiast and really took an interest in the entire development and testing process. He had a very organic understanding of the level of testing that takes place behind the secure walls of the test facility," said Diaz. "He also amazed us during filming by relating experiences from his life to the messages we're sharing about the durability testing of our lineup of Nissan commercial vehicles."
The campaign also highlights Nissan’s faith in their commercial vehicles. They increased the basic limited warranty on all 2014 NV Cargo Vans, NV Passenger Vans, and NV200 Compact Cargos from 3 years/100,000 miles to 5 years/100,000 miles, whichever comes first. The powertrain warranty was also increased to 5 years/100,000 miles. This is currently the best commercial van warranty in America.
"With this new campaign we really want to show buyers that Nissan builds a van that can keep up and never let the owners down, because when their vans are down, so are their businesses," added Diaz. "With Bret Michaels' help, we're showing that Nissan commercial vehicles are tested to perform. These are vehicles owners can depend on year in and year out, through all sorts of conditions."
The "Tough Love" marketing campaign was developed in conjunction with TBWA\Chiat\Day.
Nissan’s sales for commercial vehicles for 2014 is over 14,000, more than double the sales of the same period in 2013. All Nissan Commercial Vehicles are assembled in North America--Canton, Mississippi and Cuernavaca, Mexico.
