With Tivo & DVR, more people are scanning right past commercials. If a company brings authentic value to the marketplace, then people will want to associate with that brand. And one of the quickest routes into the heart of customer is an engaging story. Ideally it’s not a fairytale, but a true story – one that demonstrates why the brand is unique & compelling.Brands are now part of everyday life and companies have more occasions to connect with consumers. There has never been as many media opportunities to tell a story. However, consumers have less interest in being sold to, which makes the need for authentic messaging and organic execution essential. “Brought to you by” isn’t enough. And overt 'bite and smile' content that loudly calls out the brand does more harm than good. Effective Branded Entertainment is entertaining while baking the Brand into the story. Success starts with development of an idea versus 'band-aiding' the brand identity to fit a media buy or third-party story. A company must know what makes a good story and find their place within that structure. Nissan & Gran Turismo 5 are seamlessly integrated as main characters in the GT Academy story.

An online media blitz and PR/social effort kicked off the programme. Then a calculated push of contestant-specific content surfaced on-line (web sites, blogs, PSN) with a profile video for each of the top 16 gamers.The Facebook page delivered real-time question/answers of contestants and judges during events. Behind the scenes videos of the massive production efforts to spread buzz for the upcoming TV series.

Promotional efforts for the TV show on SPEED delivered over 40MM impressions across TV, online, PR. Utilising additional Nissan ad inventory, promos aired on larger networks, including Fox NFL coverage. Longer trailers ran on web banners.

GT Academy was a huge success:•Over 1.5m Gran Turismo 5 units were sold in the U.S.•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 race car driver. GT Academy USA Champion, Bryan Heitkotter, has raced on over 3 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.