Nissan likens driving to flying in latest Leaf campaign

New spot features professional wingsuit flyer who soars through the city

Published On
May 30, 2019

Editor's Pick

Nissan North America is switching gears to convey the emotional experience of driving its Leaf Plus long-range electric car, rather than leaning too heavily on the vehicle's specs, in a new campaign featuring a driver who can fly through the air.

The campaign is the first featuring the Leaf Plus, which debuted at CES in January and began hitting showrooms in recent weeks.

Since the Nissan Leaf launched in 2010, much of the marketing has focused on its features. As the Leaf continues its reign as the top-selling electric vehicle to date, despite sagging sales early this year and competition from the likes of Tesla, it is shifting to more of a storytelling approach.

The latest Leaf ad from TBWA and directed by Daniel Wolfe via Somesuch features a professional wingsuit flyer, Roberta Mancino, who weaves through the air and among high-rise buildings and then finally appears behind the wheel of the car, in scenes meant to suggest the freedom, confidence and power afforded by the vehicle.

“We knew that flying was the analogy that we were going for,” says Allyson Witherspoon, VP, marketing communications and media, Nissan North America. “We wanted it to be really authentic.”

The campaign comes as U.S. sales of Leaf fell without much marketing support. Nissan reported that it sold 951 Leaf vehicles in the U.S. in April, down 18.8 percent from a year earlier. Through April, 3,636 Leaf vehicles were sold in the U.S. this year, down 2.2 percent versus a year earlier. In total, Nissan said it has sold more than 400,000 Leaf vehicles.

The Leaf Plus comes with a 62-kilowatt battery, offering up to 226 miles per charge, compared to the 40-kilowatt battery in the Leaf which provides up to 150 miles per charge.

Short customer testimonial videos highlighting the vehicle’s features, such as one-pedal driving and driver assistance technology, are slated to post on social media.

The campaign is scheduled to run through July, when Nissan will be on site to promote the vehicle during the the Formula E race in Brooklyn.

 

Credits

Date
May 30, 2019
Client :
Nissan
Agency :
TBWA/Chiat/Day-New York
Global Chief Creative Officer :
Chris Garbutt
Executive Creative Director :
Al Merry
Creative Director/ Art Director :
Bastien Grisolet
Creative Director/ Copywriter :
Aste Gutierrez
Head of Production :
John Doris
Senior Producer :
Marisa Bursteen
Producer :
Stephanie Converse
Managing Director :
Scott Kavanagh
Sedan Business Lead :
Renee Rauchut
Account Director :
Peter Whalen
Account Manager :
Katie Rochford
Senior Business Affairs Manager :
Felicia Simmons
Senior Strategic Planner :
Melissa Panasci
Product Integration Manager :
Christian Uka
Special Mentions :
Christian Busch
Special Mentions :
Nuno Teixeira
Special Mentions :
Jexy Holman
Vice President :
Allyson Witherspoon
Director Marketing :
Erich Marx
Senior Manager Brand Marketing :
Scott Traynor
Senior Planner Marketing Communications :
Anne McGraw
Senior Planner Marketing Communications :
Jeffrey Simmons
Production Company :
Somesuch
Director :
Daniel Wolfe
Director of Photography :
Jakob Ihre
Co-Founder :
Sally Campbell
Co-Founder :
Tim Nash
Executive Producer :
Nicky Barnes
Head of Production :
Kerry Haynie
Producer :
Âdriana Cebada Mora
Edit :
Cosmo Street
Edit :
Trim Editing
Editor :
Dominic Leung
Assistant Editor :
Alexander Morales
Head of Production :
Anne Lai
Executive Producer :
Maura Woodward
Post/VFX :
The Mill
Post/VFX :
London
Executive Producer :
Heath Raymond
Senior Producer :
Mandy Harris
Production Coordinator :
Christina Chung
VFX Supervisor :
Dan Williams
VFX Supervisor :
Ajit Menon
VFX Supervisor :
Finlay Crowther
Creative Director :
Dan Williams
Lead Compositor :
Dan Williams
Lead Compositor :
Kyle Cody
Lead Compositor :
Molly Intersimone
2D Compositor :
Taner Besen
2D Compositor :
Nassar Mandavi
2D Compositor :
Gary Driver
2D Compositor :
Jonathan Freeman
2D Compositor :
Fergal Hendrick
3D Lead :
Justin Kurtz
3D Lead :
Ajit Menon
3D Lead :
Paul Donnellan
3D Artist :
Jeff Lopez
3D Artist :
Tom Bardwell
3D Artist :
Paul Liaw
3D Artist :
Jackie Liao
3D Artist :
Maxime Cronier
3D Artist :
Raphael Guez
3D Artist :
Scott McGinley
3D Artist :
James Weston
3D Artist :
Scott Denton
3D Artist :
Todd Akita
3D Artist :
Sergio Xisto
3D Artist :
Maria Carriedo
3D Artist :
Charles Lee
3D Artist :
Kevin O’Sullivan
3D Artist :
Paul Tempelman
Design Lead :
Chet Hirsch
Color :
Framestore
Head of Creative Color :
Simon Bourne
Producer :
Chris Anthony
Music :
Yessian Music
Composer :
Mark Chu
Executive Creative Director :
Andy Grush
Creative Director :
Farin Hoover
Executive Producer :
David Gold
Sr. Producer :
Katie Overcash
Head of Production :
Michael Yessian
Chief Creative Officer :
Brian Yessian
Final Sound Mix :
Sonic Union
Mix Engineer :
Paul Weiss
Mix Engineer :
Rob Ballingall

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