• by Tanya Gazdik , June 18, 2024

Infiniti Motor Co. is launching its “largest campaign ever” for its flagship QX80, which focuses on the dramatically restyled vehicle’s winning features. 

Taking a page from the children’s classic “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” the effort  is themed “Just Right.” 

Created by the automaker’s bespoke agency, Publicis Group’s Publicis Q, three spots showcase different features of the vehicle.

The anthemic spot, “Premonition” features a couple discovering the vehicle in the middle of Central Park and then imagining what it would be like to own it.

“Too This, Too That” shows how the vehicle’s individual audio zones work, including isolating phone calls to the driver’s seat. The spot also shows off the ultra high-end Klipsch Reference Premiere Audio System. 

“Too Hot" shows the benefits of the vehicle’s biometric cooling — which comes in handy if you are dressed in a bear costume.

“It's like a fun modern take on Goldilocks -- and not just Goldilocks, but the partner in these relationships and the target customer is as important as the person driving or buying it,” says Shelley Pratt, director, marketing communications and media, Infiniti Motor Co. “So we wanted to approach it as Mr. And Mrs. Goldilocks.”

The spots are running on YouTube and also ESPN, "Today," PGA tournaments and other places where the brand’s target customer consumes media or entertainment. 

"Throughout the summer you'll see us in marquee sports,” Pratt tells Marketing Daily. “This target customer likes golf and tennis, and we will also be in the Olympics. And what's really important for us, we'll also be in cinema.”

The brand is hiring influencers who prominently feature their partners to create content for the 360-degree campaign, she says. 

“We've never done that before. We’ve always had one target customer,” she says. “But then we took a step back and said, ‘That's not really how decisions are made, especially with a vehicle like this.’ You need it, because you have people and pets, and things that you have to move. It's not so much of an individual decision. So, we went back and changed it for marketing to have this couple persona.”

Events will also play a prominent role in the effort. 

“We're going to have a ton of events, the most events we've ever had in a launch,” Pratt says. “I think it's really important. Once you get inside this vehicle, it changes your perception of the brand. It increases people's opinion of the brand, their willingness to pay for the vehicle. And so we had a very purposeful strategy to do more experiential events than we ever have, a lot of grassroots events.”

The brand is working with dealers for regional efforts and is also sponsoring the Pickleball  championship games and the Chicago Marathon. 

“And then we'll have some partnerships with Life Time Fitness where the car will be at the clubs,” Pratt says. “[Gym-goers] will be able to drive them while they're there.”

Increasing the overall awareness of the brand, which is the luxury division of Nissan Motor Co. in Japan, is a major emphasis, she says. 

“We need to make sure that people know Infiniti,” Pratt says. “We don't have quite as much brand awareness as some of our competitors, so we need to make sure they know who we are. And then with an all-new vehicle, you need to make sure you're getting enough of the right people to see it, to know that something new is out here. 

“Especially with a vehicle like the QX80 -- because it is a flagship vehicle -- I think it'll raise the perception of the entire brand and the entire portfolio, and work really hard for us,” she adds. “So as we set out, that's what we wanted to do, to make sure it had a commanding type of marketing campaign for a commanding presence type of vehicle.”