Summary
This campaign introduced Nissan’s e-POWER technology in Argentina, focusing on overcoming the challenges of low electric vehicle penetration. It aimed at educating and providing experiential engagements, employing a variety of measurement strategies to gauge consumer response.

Key achievements included enhancing brand awareness of Nissan as an innovative automotive, leading in voice share for electric vehicles, boosting interest in test drives, and driving search growth for Nissan’s SUV models equipped with e-POWER. Collaboration between Edelman and in-house teams of communications and marketing from Nissan was critical, using integrated methodologies to effectively measure both consumer engagement and business outcomes.

Objective/Brief
The challenge was to introduce Nissan’s e-POWER in Argentina, which combines an electric motor that drives the vehicle and a gasoline engine that powers two electric batteries. The difficulty was to spread the voice about this groundbreaking technology in a country with low electric mobility penetration.

More than half of the electric vehicles are sold and used exclusively in cities like Buenos Aires, and the main concern among potential buyers is vehicle range, given the country’s vast distances and limited charging infrastructure. The strategy focused on two main pillars: education and experience. The team executed various actions targeting different audiences, aligning our tactics with the brand’s claim, “Innovation that excites,” and implemented them across earned, shared and owned media channels. Tactics include activations to experience the driving sensation and features of the Nissan X-Trail, a SUV equipped with e-POWER. This approach aimed to increase awareness and the number of test drives rather than short term sales. Specific objectives were set:

• Lead the share of voice in electric vehicles during 2023.
• Induce over 200 test drives.
• Secure more than 500 media placements in tier 1 and specialized outlets.
• Increase search participation for the X-Trail SUV (equipped with e-POWER) by 50%.

Strategy
In partnership with Nissan, Brand PR and DXI (Data & Intelligence) teams at Edelman undertook an extensive pre-campaign research to tailor the communication effectively.

SEO listening: Our initial approach involved search listening to understand potential customers’ concerns about electric vehicles. This insight was critical for shaping targeted messages to demystify prevalent misconceptions. If we wanted to generate content that was relevant for media and consumers, that content needed to address the questions people were searching for. This created the need (and challenge) for the PR strategy to start with seeding, communicating how the engine technology worked before any vehicle had it.

Landscape Analysis: An earned media analysis was executed to evaluate how competitors were talking about electric vehicles. Concurrently, a landscape analysis provided insights into industry trends, essential for strategically positioning Nissan e-POWER. The e-POWER technology opened the way for us to be featured in media outlets, editors, and sections that don’t usually discuss automotive topics, but are keen on discussing innovation.

Integrated Measurement Planning: Silos were broken between the Comms and Marketing teams, enabling access to crucial web performance metrics. These metrics included detailed tracking of out-takes and the volume of test drives at dealerships—key indicators of the campaign’s resonance with the target audience. The integration of these diverse measurement touchpoints ensured that every aspect of the campaign was quantifiable. This approach allowed for a direct link between specific activities and the overall campaign results. We applied Integrated AMEC to provide Nissan with precise ROI insights and enhancing campaign efficacy.

Execution/Implementation
The campaign was earned media oriented, emphasizing the awareness created by media, so the following methodologies were chosen:

Earned Media Analysis: A content analysis was employed to assess the penetration of key messages and quotations from Nissan’s e-mobility experts across various media outlets. This method involved detailed tracking of how effectively our communications were being incorporated into media narratives, providing a direct measure of message dissemination and audience engagement.

Web Performance Metrics: We closely monitored Nissan’s website metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of the campaign in driving traffic and educating potential customers. Key metrics included page views, unique visitors, bounce rate, and average session duration. These indicators helped gauge user interest and interaction with content related to Nissan’s new e-POWER technology.

Event and Dealership Feedback: During promotional events and at dealerships, we collected data on test drives and gathered participant feedback. This approach was vital in understanding consumer reactions and the practical appeal of the e-POWER system. Collaborative efforts with dealership staff ensured the collection of comprehensive, actionable insights from these engagements.

The integration of these diverse measurement tools and methods highlighted the campaign’s reach and impact, underlining the effectiveness of the strategic media approaches and the originality in their application. Each channel’s results contributed to a holistic understanding of the campaign’s success, allowing for refined strategies in real-time and post-campaign analyses. This execution not only provided a clear measurement of outcomes but also reinforced Nissan’s position in the competitive landscape of electric mobility.

Effectiveness of Assignment
The Nissan e-POWER technology introduction campaign in Argentina clearly met its objectives across key communication areas, displaying strong results in awareness, engagement and business impact:
Awareness: The campaign created 980 media placements and 120 interviews with Nissan´s experts on mobility, significantly increasing visibility for e-POWER.
Engagement: Key engagement metrics showed the website attracted 342,000 visits and 231,000 unique users. A 200% increase in search interest and a jump in search share for the SUV C category from 2.8% to 8.4% highlighted the public’s heightened awareness.
Action: Overall, 1,167 leads were created through Nissan’s web, indicating strong potential for sales conversions. The campaign led to 267 test drives at events and dealerships, showing real consumer interest.

Carolina Martinenghi, Senior Manager of Corporate Communications at Nissan Argentina, commented

“The best part of this case was breaking down the data silos between communications and marketing regarding Brand PR. This allowed us to apply different methodologies to measure both awareness and business outcomes effectively. The biggest win was seeing 267 potential consumers hop into an SUV like the X-Trail, equipped with technology that was still unknown at the beginning of 2023.”

These results demonstrate the strategic success of the campaign and lay a strong foundation for future electric mobility initiatives created by Nissan.