Competitive Analysis

This one made me smile. Honestly there isn't really anything that can compare with the GT-R Nismo at its price point, class, weight, and horsepower numbers. At this price point the car is compared with things that boast massive V-8 engines making massive horsepower numbers and torque numbers. Things like Dodge Challenger Hellcats, Mustang GT 500s, and Acura NSXs. On paper these cars seem to tower over the GT-R in some cases having 200-300 more horsepower and torque with similar weight. It only makes sense that that would destroy the GT-R. It comes down to refinement and engineering, those cars do not even come close performance wise in any aspect. They lose all the way across the board in every subject. The funny thing is "Most competing brands are of equal quality—that is, they are parity products or services...effective advertising could persuade you that a particular brand is better or more appealing than the competition"(2). Everyone picks from the same pile of parts. In the class all the metals used in the cars down to the stitching in the leather are the same. All the differences are is the execution of the final product. Nissan's craftsmanship is unmatched in this case. All the other brands have no clue why they lose so badly in all aspects of this class. It is simple, innovation. "The strategy helps define the brand's or group's personality and promise, differentiates it from the competition by defining the positioning, and codifies the brand essence"(72). I love how Nissan keeps a low profile and does not have commercials with the GT-R even in it, because it is established that it is the best and there is no real need to associate it with any other non-sense, all you need to think is perfect performance.

The Big Idea

The big idea here is that this car can and will do everything you need it to do with grace and to perfection. The car is not normal, no other vehicle in it's class delivers half as much. Everything falls short be a large amount. The advertising for this car does not to be grand and over the top. "The audience is the main group who would purchase this product, utilize this information or service, or patronize this entity or brand..."(15). The car delivers on a grand scale with its performance, therefore it does not need to be overshadowed with gimmicks. "An effective ad is driven by the underlying concept. An advertising idea— or concept—is the creative reasoning behind a solution. The concept determines the resulting message..."(66), whatever you put out there with something like this is exactly how people ill view it. If you go over the top with the connected advertising for the GT-R it will blend in with everything else and compete for a spotlight with all the other ridiculous, catchy, over the top marketing strategies. It will get people thinking, "well why doesn't Nissan do the super crazy, ridiculous advertisement like they are trying to compensate for something. This will spark curiosity and uncover they don't do it because it is not needed. When A product is great it will speak for itself when put to the test. "Finding a relevant insight into how people think, what they need or desire, and how they act, termed a consumer insight, is paramount for idea generation. That consumer insight should be coupled with an insight into the brand..."(68). All you need to do with this car is tell someone, it can do anything and everything you need it to do, its perfect. It will do nothing but spark interest and make them challenge your accusation and find out for themselves. The big idea here is to dangle the bait out in front of peoples face and dare them to take a bite, once they do the hook will be set far too deep to get off. People like to feel like what they have makes them slightly more important that the next person. "It is a response that may derive from personal significance or reward and the desire to feel good"(49).

Promotion

I sat and thought about this for awhile, about what exactly could I come up with to promote this car then it hit me. You need to be cut and dry with something like this. Straight to the point, "...the best way to reach customers, regardless of the channel, is to actually offer them something they will value. (162.)  for starters a Twitter account needs to be made with the hashtag #Perfect. Literally everything you try to put the car through in end result is perfect. Launch during a drag race, perfect. Take a corner at over 80mph, perfect. Put coil-overs on the car, slam it to the floor and still want to maintain balance and style, perfect. The car just simply does not fail, when people can get a concept and understand it, it encourages them to take action and participate "...effective advertising could persuade you that a particular brand is better or more appealing than the competition"(2). Everyone else needs some huge gimmick and catch phrase while here it just simply does not fit nor is needed and customers notice that. "Here is the product, this is what we say it can do, after its tested every which and way it does exactly that and people appreciate honesty. Here, the sales pitch is woven into the drama, with the hope that the audience won't focus on the persuasive intent. Some say that audiences tend to be more skeptical of claims made in lectures, whereas dramas tend to disarm, dropping the level of skepticism. Lectures and dramas can be combined into one format, where the drama is interrupted by a mini lecture or vice versa"(108). People do not like what. We being creatives we are trained to perceive creative content from a profession point of view and evaluate. Normal everyday people don't do that so with a lack of words we must sometimes dumb down a message so that it can be quickly grasped and understood because attention spans run short these days. With that being said the brand needs a face. Someone people can associate with the brand and get comfortable with. "An average person, actor, model, or other celebrity—who positively represents the product, service, or group. If the role is a recurring one, that individual becomes the face and voice of the brand or group"(112). I think that this person needs to be someone well known but at the same time has a bit of mystery and a certain depth to their character which is why I think that Samuel L. Jackson needs to be the voice and face of all the commercials. "When so many brands are parity products and services, a celebrity endorsement can provide a point of differentiation and build brands through the purchase of a celebrity's cachet"(114). He is a reputable source, is not usually involved in controversy, and has a depth to his character. Similar to the car, no recalls, no huge issues, nothing but a well delivered product. 

Creative Content

For my creative content I constructed two composites of the car. In an area where you least expect to see a super-car for one and the other on a track/racing environment where it really shines. For the first example I decided to put it in a lot where trucks dock for unloading, because it is out back and out of the way and the car is hidden. "The coherence of the composition depends upon how the content is ordered and shaped. An interesting form results from a good idea and a finely honed visualization and composition"(152). If you aren't tearing down the street or the highway you would have no idea what type of car just passed you. It would just be a nice high end Nissan to most people. Showing that the vehicle can be operated in a sedated state. The throttle response is cut, steering and suspension dampened, thus turning an utter beast of a vehicle into a tame little Nissan. One could almost say turning it into a Luxury car because while it is a well established performance machine it also has only the highest level of craftsmanship on the interior. Which is why I put the first image in such an unexpected setting, "Creative thinking is the ability to stretch beyond the ordinary, to be original, innovative, and flexible..."(32). The same old ideas get boring, I am tired of the cliche ideas of cars driving and being blurry from motion or a big truck driving through some mud. "A brand or group embodies something: ethics, humanitarianism, preservation, coolness, fun, family values, respectability, excitement, energy, novelty, inventiveness, cutting-edge research, healthful living, an active lifestyle..."(58). Why not simply show a car not moving it is in it's element to be marveled at by those who can imagine what it could do if it were on. Sometimes you have got to let people imagination run wild and the rest will happen naturally. Let someone imagine and they will sell the car to themselves, which was exactly the reason for my just putting the GT-R at the track, motionless, on a very large skid-pad. It makes a drivers mind run wild with the possibilities of what could be, sometimes things are just meant to be and fit in perfectly with their environment and in this case, "To achieve unity, all the graphic elements must look as though they belong together"(159). The unity is perfect because the car is right where it was designed to be.

Analysis of Project in the Real World

My pitch and strategies behind it would be very successful. At this point in time mostly what people see is horsepower and how much does it cost. Mainly how much it costs. Since the general population don't exactly understand how all the numbers associated with cars work, "It's where the brand creates a commitment to a relationship. It's where the brand creates something useful to you, something that's a utility in your life,"(54). they are lead by dollar signs and the quality of the product. Basically as long as the car sounds fast and has nice leather it the actual numbers on paper do not really matter. "Advertising is used in a free-market system to promote one brand or group over another. Most competing brands are of equal quality..."(5), with that being said the only thing brands have to distinguish themselves in the car industry is actually delivering up to expectations. The GT-R is a great value and you really do get alot for the money you spend, "A branded utility is a product created by a brand or sponsor that is ostensibly useful to the consumer and generally (but not always) offered free of charge. The product (or branded utility) should provide a useful and pleasant experience for the consumer."(9).

2016 Nissan GT-R Nismo: Whatever You Need it to Be !

Simply said the Nissan GT-R is whatever you need it to be. Wether you want a weekend warrior car for the track, a luxury car, an all our race car, or something to take you back and forth to the grocery store this is it. This car is visceral and very well refined to beat basically everything else in it's class. The car can literally be anything and everything you need it to be, "The creation of an ad can happen in any number of ways. Some people think in words. Ad great George Lois recommends writing first. Others think in images. Still others are switch hitters. It really does not matter which comes first, as long as both line and visual work synergistically and are based on a solid idea"(95). This car doesn't need some insane phrase. Just like the car it is cut and directly to the point. Doesn't really matter if you want to do over 200mph or never let the thing leave second gear. Either way it will be perfect for what you need it to do, "Copy has to sound fresh and not predictable. It also has to sound as though you are engaging in a natural conversation with the reader."(100). In this case a simple "Whatever You Need it to Be", really does hit home.