As Nissan interactive marketing executive Robert Brown put it, the brand “tripled down” on this year’s Super Bowl with a poignant 90-second spot that focused on an emotional father-son story.
Speaking at the OMMA LA conference today Brown said the spot was critically well-received, cracking the top 10 in USA Today’s annual Super Bowl consumer poll.
But investing in the Super Bowl is a big expense—:30s went for $4 million-plus this year—and brands need to extend the halo effect to the max.
Brown explained how he focused on extending that halo online with an “immersive experience” centered on a film with extremely high production values about Nissan’s racing heritage, called “Meet the Machines.” The star vehicle was a prototype known as LMP1.
The effort didn’t produce a lot of web-based lead generation, Brown acknowledged. But it did produce value by attracting the interest of a “key interest group,” namely racing enthusiasts while reinforcing the brand's racing credentials. Such initiatives won’t generate immediate sales he said. But if done right they “can support future demand.”