Nissan wanted new showroom posters for the Xterra, targeting Western expats (mostly British and South African) in the UAE and other regional markets. These high-income individuals are known to prefer 4WDs for their weekend trips into the desert or mountain ranges.Therefore, these posters had to reinforce the serious off-road capabilities of the Xterra.

Displaying the vehicle in dramatic outdoor locations wouldn’t distinguish Xterra from the rest. To bring out the Xterra attitude, the concept showed how it makes even the toughest terrain look easy. Like a piece of cake. In designing terrains, we were inspired by two Xterra colours: White Avalanche, Desert Stone. To complete the spectrum, the forest was the obvious third choice.We crafted the terrains using icing, cream and chocolate chunks. To stay true to the earth layers of oil, rocks and mud, we used chocolate sauce, nuts and every kind of sponge cake. Bake on!

Nissan liked the cakes so much, they’ve taken the posters into press ads. They have also commissioned larger-than-life models to be displayed outside showrooms and at motor shows. The auto downturn has affected every market, so sales haven’t gone up. But the Xterra is the best-performing model among 4WDs for Nissan and test-drives have risen by 12% in the first quarter.