Why Nissan Canada Created an Action-Packed Thrill Ride
One of the best things about summer weather is the way in which it facilitates excellent driving conditions. In Canada specifically, one isn’t forced to contend with snow, slush and ice - which is always nice - the daylight hours are longer, which makes long road trips out of town much more enjoyable, and just generally, there’s a certain joie de vivre which lends nicely to the thrill of racing down the road (even if the temperature demands a heavy blasting of AC in the process).
But what about the smaller, more basic moments behind the wheel? Can driving a car really be thrilling when all it’s being used for is running a few errands, or teaching a kid how to not be a menace on the road? According to Nissan Canada, it absolutely can be. Created in collaboration with Juniper Park\TBWA, ‘Operation Thill’ serves as a follow up to the brand’s ‘Institute of Thrillology’ campaign which launched last year. Centred around a father teaching his daughter how to parallel park, what might otherwise be a routine, mundane experience is transformed into something exciting, as a team of top-secret Nissan employees rigorously monitor the affair to make sure the experience passes the ‘thrill test’ with flying colours.
LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down with Juniper Park\TBWA strategy director Bill Chamness, executive creative director Neil Walker-Wells, and Nissan Canada Inc.’s director of marketing, Ken Hearn, to learn more about how the car brand is placing ‘thrill’ at the forefront of the driving experience.
LBB> This campaign serves as a follow up to Nissan’s ‘Institute of Thrillology’ from last summer. As such, what was the brief, and what immediate ideas came to mind?
Ken> The brief was to take the positive results of the ‘Thrillology’ 1.0 campaign and elevate it, to continue to showcase the capabilities and features of our vehicles in real-world settings.
Bill> The first chapter in Thrillology was about establishing the platform, the context, and the purpose (to demonstrate Nissan’s dedication to making everyday moments more exciting). For the sequel, we knew that we had to make the shift to demonstrating how ‘Thrillology’ (i.e. Nissan) fits into people’s lives – to take the story out of our world and into theirs.
LBB> Focusing on bringing thrill to life in a unique way compared to the genre of car ads is no small task. Creatively speaking, how did you approach this, and why was this something you wanted to do?
Neil> The team really lived this project, and you could tell they’re action movie fans. The energy and enthusiasm they put in really shows in the end product. It’s action with a smile.
Ken> We really wanted our ads to stand out from the sea of same. While the technology and features are serious, we also know that consumers want to enjoy being in the vehicles, so we thought the ‘Thrill Mobile Lab’ was an interesting way to highlight them.
LBB> How did you work together to decide which vehicles you wanted to showcase? And how did you ensure these vehicles’ features were showcased fairly, while not distracting from the main theme of thrill?
Ken> We wanted to focus on our core models, ‘Rogue’, ‘Sentra’ and ‘Kicks’. Balancing the feature display and the thrill was key - we want Canadians to understand the feature benefits, but we also wanted it to be shown in an exciting way. Overall, it was a balancing act to ensure both were accomplished.
Bill> Adding to this, Nissan Canada invests quite a bit of time, attention and resources into understanding the category (customer perceptions/preferences/opinions, competitive capabilities, etc.). As such, when crafting the spot, we knew which features would resonate with our audience with a fair degree of certainty.
LBB> The spot is brilliant! Who directed it, and if you were on set, what was the shooting experience like?
Neil> Thanks! The directing duo Aircastle shot the campaign. They absolutely nailed the casting, even creating a demo reel - almost a mini-movie or trailer - to sell their picks. Super-smart! Not only that though, their attention to detail and passion was next level, and it helps that they’re a helluva nice team too.
In terms of the shoot itself, it took place over a busy six days, and we got to know each other pretty well (#VanLife). We built the interior of the Thrill Mobile Lab in a studio, spent a day just outside the Toronto Zoo, and another out near Stouffville… somewhere. However, the most interesting part was shooting the new Sentra (which was under embargo) overnight in downtown Toronto, right after a Leafs playoff win.
LBB> The Thrill Mobile Lab is the most memorable part of the spot. How did you physically create this, inside and out?
Neil> The unit was built in-studio for the interior dialogue scenes, and the actual real-world unit was wrapped for the exterior action scenes. The radar unit and details were really well-developed. The creative team, Jason Lee and Derek Silveira, really pulled out all the stops!
LBB> The accompanying music and sound effects fit the spot perfectly! How did you work with Oso to bring these elements to life?
Neil> We’ve got a great relationship with Oso, so it was pretty seamless. The crucial part was getting the audio to dial up the tension, while allowing us to still take in the dialogue.
LBB> What challenges did you face during this project, and how did you overcome them?
Neil> It snowed… in April. We pretended it didn’t.
Ken> One challenge we had was managing an embargoed vehicle on the new Sentra. When the security team arrived on site, we quickly realised the shoot location was not going to be approved. So, we needed to pivot the location and find some creative ways to capture images of the new vehicle. With some last minute logistical changes and an all-hands-on-deck attitude, we were able to achieve what needed to be done with minimal impact to the final product.
LBB> Do you have any memorable lessons learned from the making of this new campaign?
Neil> We double-shot English and French, and it was great seeing the tonal differences of the creative.
Ken> I think the most memorable lesson was the importance of being flexible and knowing that not everything will go as planned. As with any shoot, there were a couple of curve balls we needed to manage, but the most important part is that we did so as a team.
LBB> What has the initial response been like?
Ken> The initial response has been really positive! The ads are standing out, and people like the fact that visually, it looks very different from traditional automotive ads.
LBB> How does this campaign fit into your brand’s goals for 2023 and beyond?
Ken> The campaign fits under the master brand platform of ‘Thrill’. We want to communicate the thrill people have when they see, experience, and drive our vehicles. We also want to show people that vehicle features, safety, and technology can make their lives easier, and their overall driving experience more pleasurable.
LBB> In the spirit of this, what’s the most thrilling part about driving a Nissan?
Ken> The most thrilling part about driving a Nissan is that it’s a Nissan. The latter combines purposeful design and technology, reliability, and vehicles that simply fit all lifestyles. What also adds thrill is knowing that the Nissan vehicles we drive today have combined learnings, driving excitement, and countless kilometres of testing from previous generations.
