SUVs are status symbols in the Middle East. However, the big difference here is that an SUV’s worth isn’t defined purely by status. It also needs to be capable. Desert driving isn’t optional for many; navigating the desert is part of life.

Enthusiasts regularly take SUVs to the desert for thrills; to show-off their skills and their cars on the steepest dunes. This competitive spirit spills over into the online world, with social media platforms and forums filled with debates about which cars perform best on the dunes.

These debates revolve around two cars in particular –Toyota Land Cruiser and Nissan Patrol. We wanted to establish the Nissan SUV range, including Navara and Super Safari, as the ultimate desert line-up. We couldn’t just say it, so we proved it by creating the world’s first unit to benchmark desert performance for all cars.

The film details the development of the world’s first unit of measurement for desert performance: Camelpower. We go behind the scenes to witness the process as Nissan engineers find the right approach and methodology for the research and experiment needed to measure and validate the unit.

We get to see their deliberations and the development of the formula, and how engineers took additional insight and inspiration from local Bedouins to arrive at the decision to use the camel as the benchmark for the experiment.

The experiment itself is filmed, from building the track to the benchmark runs set by camels to define a single unit of Camelpower (dCP). Finally, the Nissan Patrol is driven on the track to determine its own Camelpower value.

We end looking to the future, as a representative from the Emirates Standardization & Metrology Authority details next steps in getting the unit officially recognized.

Instead of an advertising campaign, we wanted to own a conversation. So, we started by working alongside third party engineers, technical experts and geology academics to create a robust formula and conduct rigorous field tests. Then we vetted the entire plan with Emirates Authority for Standardization & Metrology (ESMA). And that was just the due diligence.

To promote the concept, we had to explain the science. An 11-minute documentary shot by and aired on National Geographic brought the entire process to life, while we used social media platforms and formats to direct people to www.camelpower.ae, where they could learn more about the unit, the science, and most importantly, the Nissan SUV line-up.

Graphic illustrations drew analogies between camels and our SUVs across the website and our showrooms. And finally, following the announcement and film, talks were held at universities to promote the new unit and opportunities for future application.