The project required integrating 2 brands and briefs:1) With over 40 years of racing innovation but no official team currently in the U.S., Nissan wanted to demonstrate their performance profile to an audience of passionate millennial drivers. 2) With the launch of Gran Turismo 5, Sony PlayStation wanted to prove their game was the most realistic driver simulator on the market.Nissan & Sony created GT Academy USA: a multiplatform program that offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to take your driving skills from virtual to reality and become a professional racer. The amazing journey integrated gaming, events, branded entertainment and social media.

GT Academy gave tens of thousands of racing enthusiasts a chance to fulfil their dream of racing real cars. Ultimately, an out of work deliveryman from Fresno ended up winning and racing on three different continents with great success.

The platform was spread throughout the year with four phases:1) On-line tournament in which gamers from across the country competed in Nissan vehicles to set their best Gran Turiso 5 times on PlayStation 3 consoles.2) National Finals in Orlando where the top 32 gamers raced head-to-head on GT5 to determine the best 16.3) GT Academy where 16 endured on & off the track challenges to decide one Champion.

4) Driver Development Program in which the GT Academy champion races in the USA and abroad for the Nissan team.Over 7 hours of different video content was assimilated in multiple mediums including web sites, Facebook, PR activations, the PlayStation Network and a prime-time reality TV series of 5 one hour episodes airing on SPEED. The web site created an interactive experience, allowing the consumer to take their own tour of the Academy on computers and mobile devices.

GT Academy success:•Over 1.5m Gran Turismo 5 units were sold in U.S.A.•Over 53,000 virtual drivers spent thousands of hours driving 370Zs in the game with over 35% of them 'opting in' for more info on Nissan vehicles. •Nissan Performance page saw a 31% increase in engagement.•TV series was watched by 8.3M HH’s and 4.4M P25-54 viewers - 40% above estimates and 12% improvement on the timeslot from previous year on SPEED.•ITVX estimated the product placement value per episode at $175,500.•PR & Social Media garnered over 300M impressions.•A virtual racer actually became a real racecar driver! GT Academy USA Champion, Bryan Heitkotter, has raced on over three continents with amazing success including the team’s best qualifying position of the season at the Mid-Ohio Race and a 3rd place finish at 24-hours of Dubai, proving the performance of Nissan and realism of Gran Turismo 5.