Nissan Titan PU Ads Debut on Thanksgiving Day NFL Football

DETROIT--Nov. 13, 2003--Making its mark in the highly competitive full-size truck market, Nissan North America, Inc. (NNA) will launch the marketing campaign for its all-new 2004 Titan during NFL football on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 27, 2003). The Titan, Nissan's first entry into the full-size truck market, goes on sale in early December.

While the full campaign officially launches in conjunction with the on-sale date, Nissan is taking advantage of the highly watched Thanksgiving Day football to kick-off Titan advertising.

The launch spot, "Shift_Titan," will first air during the nationally televised Packers/Lions game. The 60-second spot will show the full-size Titan crossing a dry lakebed with the Titan's throaty exhaust prominently heard, letting viewers know that something big is approaching. As the Titan powers its way across the screen, images appear to reflect Titan's power, size and innovation, including its powerful 305-horsepower engine, Wide-Open King Cab rear doors and the Crew Cab's spacious interior room. Playing off Nissan's "Shift_" tagline, the spot concludes with "Shift_the playing field," urging consumers to think differently about their traditional full-size truck options.

"The Titan's arrival puts Nissan right in the middle of the extremely competitive full-size truck market, so we need to build credibility and awareness among a very discerning group of buyers," said Fred Suckow, director of marketing, NNA. "The campaign showcases Titan's powerful engine, its substantial towing capacity and available innovations like the Utili-track(TM) tie-down system and spray-in bedliner -- everything full-size truck buyers want."

Power, Size and Innovation

The multi-faceted campaign, which includes television, print, outdoor, online and direct marketing, will consistently highlight Titan's core attributes.

Of particular interest to the full-size truck audience are the Titan's 5.6-liter Endurance V8 engine producing 305 horsepower and 379 lb-ft of torque; its 1,640 lb. maximum payload; and its 9,500 pounds maximum towing capacity. In addition, the campaign will demonstrate the Titan's 126 cubic feet of best-in-class(a) interior room (Crew Cab).

Nissan also will tout Titan's unique innovations such as the High-Utility Bed, which offers the first-ever factory spray-in bedliner and an adjustable tie down system for any type of cargo. In addition, the campaign will touch on the convenience of the Titan King Cab's innovative 168-degree opening rear doors, which allow full access to the rear of the cab.

Full-Size Truck Buyers

The campaign's national media plan is designed to effectively reach the Titan's target audience: mostly males, 32 to 48 years old.

"There are several types of full-size truck owners," said Suckow. "The typical buyer of a Titan will use his truck as primary transportation, but also needs the truck's capabilities on the weekends for towing his boat to the lake, visiting the hardware store for home improvement jobs or heading to the desert with his motorcycles."

Campaign Elements

Television

The television campaign features five unique spots, each communicating Titan's core attributes. In a twist on conventional advertising, the Titan is never shown completely clean, reflecting the multiple environments in which the Titan can be driven. In addition to the launch spot, other commercials include:

"Best-in-class(a)" (30 seconds) -- Demonstrates Titan's best-in-class features, such as low-end torque, Wide-Open King Cab rear doors, Crew Cab interior space, High-Utility Bed, DVD based GPS navigation system and most powerful standard V8 engine in its class(a).

"4x4" (30 seconds) -- Shows off Titan's rugged Off-Road Package featuring 33-inch tires, Rancho(R) gas shocks, skid plates, best-in-class(a) rear-axle ground clearance and the 5.6-liter Endurance V8 engine.

"Towing" (30 seconds) -- Captures Titan's powerful towing capacity by showing various towing scenarios, including a boat and horse trailer. The spot concludes with Titan passing a competitor on an uphill grade while towing a boat.

"Cargo" (30 seconds) -- Brings Titan's High-Utility Bed to life with a variety of tie-down options.

Print

All print ads continue to communicate Titan's core attributes, showing a metal data plate to describe the photo for readers. The data plate, similar to those found on heavy machinery, includes the Titan's name and the manufacturing place -- Canton, Mississippi. The attributes featured on the plates are:

-- Innovation (168-degree rear King Cab door)

-- 1,640 lb. maximum total payload

-- 126 cubic feet interior space in the Titan Crew Cab

-- 9,500 lb. maximum towing capacity

-- 5.6-liter Endurance V8 with 305 horsepower and 379 lb-ft of torque

Outdoor

The outdoor campaign will incorporate 10 to 15 creative boards, all of which will communicate that the Titan is big. In addition to traditional billboards, Nissan plans to use unusually large spaces to advertise the Titan outdoors.

Pre-launch

Nissan began communicating with potential buyers as early as February 2003 following the Detroit Auto Show, where the Titan made its world debut. Last month, the company began showing a pre-launch campaign featuring four print ads and four 15-second television spots. Setting up the launch campaign, each execution succinctly communicated Titan's core attributes: 305 horsepower, 379 lb-ft of torque, 9,500 pound maximum towing capacity, when properly equipped.

In addition to television, print and outdoor, Nissan will also implement an online component, targeting lifestyle sites for hunters, fishermen and sports enthusiasts.

The new Titan advertising was created by Nissan's agency, TBWA/Chiat/Day, based in Playa del Rey, California.

Titan Highlights

The Nissan Titan has already been singled out for multiple awards. Both Four Wheeler and Sport Truck magazines named the Titan its 2004 Truck of the Year. Also, Smart Money magazine selected Titan over its competitors for its Smart Money Award. Edmunds.com, the Internet's premier resource for consumer automotive information, picked Titan as the Most Significant Vehicle of the Year for 2004.

In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan vehicles can be found online at www.nissanusa.com.

(a) Standard Models under 8,500 GVWR starting below $45,000 in Ward's Large Pickup Segment