Nissan Australia has launched Patrol, It’s Out There, an integrated campaign developed with TBWA\Melbourne, Revolver and Glue Society, turning the brand’s 4×4 into the prize of a nationwide hunt.
The campaign challenged Australians to locate a hidden Nissan Patrol, with the winner keeping the vehicle. The activation tapped into off-road communities and culminated in a 30-second TVC.
Bilgen Tug, Director Brand and Customer Experience, Nissan said “Leveraging Patrol’s long history in Australia, we sought to intrigue Australia’s 4×4 communities and adventurers at heart.
“To do so, we celebrated how a Nissan Patrol can give anyone the opportunity to explore all that the Australian landscape has to offer and captured those moments in an authentic way.”
The experience began online with geolocator and GeoGuessr World Cup representative Oscar Pearce providing cryptic clues, requiring participants to analyse terrain, soil, tree lines and light angles. CarExpert.com.au dropped the first clue, sparking conversation across 4×4 forums.
More than 1,000 Australians submitted video entries to join the live hunt, with five finalist teams flown to South Australia’s Bendleby Ranges to compete across more than 200km of 4WD tracks.
Director, Jonathan Kneebone, Glue Society said: “The idea of hiding a Nissan Patrol in the middle of the Australian outback and allowing people to test their detective and driving skills to find it was something we couldn’t resist being part of.
“It sounds simple, but as productions go, it was beyond what we’d ever attempted. Wild weather events, extraordinary remoteness and lack of infrastructure aside, the reward was in making the seemingly impossible happen. It bought out the real adventurer in all of us, just like the Patrol itself.”
The finale was covered by Channel 7’s Sunrise, which broadcast live from the secret location and announced the winners, Beth and Travers, a mother and son team who drove away in the Patrol.
Paul Reardon, Chief Creative Officer, TBWA\Melbourne, said: “Finders-keepers with a brand-new Nissan Patrol. Watching the lengths people went to, in order to enter this competition was amazing.
“It’s a level of engagement with a brand that’s often so hard to achieve. And at the heart of the competition, amongst all the excitement, we also had a brilliant product demonstration, contestants drove Nissan Patrols to find one, in harsh Australian 4WDing conditions,.”
Stephanie Gwee, Creative Director, TBWA\Melbourne added: “Hiding a Patrol in the outback wasn’t just a stunt and it wasn’t just advertising. It was a way to show that this vehicle belongs to the land and the people who take it on. This campaign was about celebrating that spirit and inviting even more Australians into the story.”
Credits
Client: Nissan Australia
Director Brand and Customer Experience: Bilgen Tug
Senior Manager Brand, Marketing Communications & Sponsorship: Alison Clancey
Marketing Communications Manager: Sara Grobelna
TBWA\Melbourne
Chief Creative Officer: Paul Reardon
Creative Director: Stephanie Gwee
Head Producer: Joel Morgan
Producer: Maria Borowski
Head of Planning: Virginia Pracht
Creative: Scott Canning
Creative: Bruce Baldwin
Creative: Amy Peden
Creative: Ryan Doray
BTS/Social Editor: Tom Edney
NissanUnited
Client Partner: Cameron Green
Business Director: Jeremiah Espanto
Social Media Manager: Michaela Stevenson
Group Account Director (Media): Rebecca Lloyd
Account Director (Media): Yvette Crimmins
Production Company: Revolver
Director: Glue Society
Managing Director/Co-Owner: Michael Ritchie
Executive Producer/Partner: Pip Smart
Executive Producer: Jasmin Helliar
Senior Producer: Serena Paull
DOP: Jordan Maddocks
Post Production: Glue Society Studios
Editor: Luke Crethar
Colourist + Online: Scott Stirling
Sound Production: Rumble Studios
Music Composition: Rumble Studios
Media Partners
CarExpert
Seven West Media