Nissan Drives the PR Pack When it Comes to Community Relations For any major corporation netting in the millions of dollars in revenue every year, allotting six figures for a PR campaign might seem like a drop in the bucket. But set aside that much money for a pilot PR project and for an endeavor that might not result in sales until years down the road and it's a different take altogether.
But that scenario typifies what Torrance, Calif.-based Nissan North America did this year when it hired WHaM Communications, a small PR boutique in Seattle, to oversee a community relations program whose life span was uncertain. And whose target audience - teenagers - seemed equally elusive.
This fall, NNA nimbly rolled off its PR assembly line the educational program - an effort that's teeming with as much fun as serious messaging: the reminder that every day, an average of 17 teenagers die in car crashes.
Via "Safe Driving" weeks that were held at a total of 10 high schools in Phoenix, Dallas and Atlanta, Nissan set up practice courses in those cities where instructors from the well-known Skip Barber Driving School (based in Lakeville, Conn.) taught teenagers collision-avoidance maneuvers in snazzy new Nissan Altimas. (The campaign coincided with the launch of the new model.)
Nearly 400 students (who signed waivers and had permission from their parents) were selected by drivers education teachers in those markets to enjoy some one-on-one instruction from race car drivers. The program ran from late September through the end of October of 1997.
Overall, about 30 professionals directed the program, including five WHaM staffers; three Nissan PR execs/reps; 15 driving instructors and several independent consultants who were hired to handle in-school logistics, according to Debra Sanchez Fair, corporate manager for consumer divisional PR for NNA. They were the ones who ironed logistical kinks and geared up the communities where the events would take place.
Although Fair won't reveal the exact amount the undertaking cost, she said it was under $500,000. But more telling than the amount that was set aside is the success of the program, which not only garnered 60 million gross impressions but has resulted in Nissan's ongoing analysis of how it can introduce the program on a long-term basis nationwide.
"This was a campaign that worked simply because it had the potential to endear itself to parents," says Pete Pedersen, an account supervisor with WHaM. "This isn't at all about selling cars."
Under the Hood of the Campaign
It goes without saying that one of the challenges all PR execs face is that overused cliche: "showing how PR campaigns and programs contribute to the bottom line." So what must the thinking be when a company as sales-driven as Nissan decides to embark on a PR campaign with seemingly little potential for an immediate return?
"We knew that if this was something we got positive feedback from the community as well as from the school districts involved, then it would be worth budgeting for in the future," says Fair. "Long before we started the program, we looked at issues that kept popping up in the press and we kept coming across news about teen drivers and teen deaths and we knew this was a way for us to be active in communities.What better program for a company whose motto is 'Life's A Journey - Enjoy the Road?'"
In some ways, the campaign deviated from how Nissan portrays itself through its ads: it's hard to walk away with anything too overtly serious (or bone-chilling as the statistic that 480 U.S. teens die every month in the U.S. in car crashes) when you watch its funky ads featuring grinning Dale Ishimoto and his dog.
But contrast those seconds-long ad swipes with the hundreds of "Cruise Control" pamphlets that were sent home to parents of teens at the schools participating in the pilot program and you'll see how low-profile, yet smart, this campaign is: There's virtually no chance that the average teen, no matter how impressed he or she is with Nissan, can go out and buy an Altima tomorrow. But his or her parent could. Or his or her teacher could. Or his or her neighbor could. Or his or her principal could. Or his or her grandparent could. You get the point.
Or simply, as it has done, it can leave a community with a good feeling - an impact companies are finding means a lot in this politically correct day and age (See PRN Dec. 1, 1997) and this era of corporate imaging.
Just consider this letter Nissan received after conducting the program at Xavier Prep. High School in Phoenix from a sophomore who took part in the program. She writes: "I just wanted to say thank you for an amazing opportunity you gave me and my friends. Last January, I lost a friend to a driving accident. She was a 14-year-old student and friend of mine. Since this accident, I have realized how important driving skills are and [that they] must be taught."
That's a PR value that's impossible to attach a price tag to.
And Nissan also wasn't myopic in how it approached the campaign from a community-relations standpoint. It ran 30-second spots on local radio stations popular with teens. Nissan also found some ancillary PR pluses: In Phoenix, Nissan dealerships invited customers to a "ride and drive" event the day after the program (names were culled from its customer database and from a list of parents' names). Other initiatives included inviting local representatives from Mothers Against Driving Drunk chapters and sending drivers education teachers safe-driving curricula. (WHaM, 206/223-1606; Nissan, 310/771;5958)
WHaM
Founded: 1992
Based: Seattle
1997 Billings: $1.2 million projected
No. of Employees: 14
No. of Clients: 25 (others include Stroh Brewing Co. and Muzak)
Media Coverage From WHaM Campaign
- The Atlanta Journal Constitution
- "Good Morning Arizona"
- "Good Day Atlanta"
- The Arizona Republic
- "Primetime Live" (slated to air in January)