The X-Terra was once a brand synonymous with extreme off-roading. However, consumer preferences evolved and the allure of rugged, extreme off-roading capable SUVs decreased.

Young families wanted an all-rounder - style, comfort, versatility and technology advanced. X-Terra was viewed as an ageing model, meant only for a niche community of enthusiasts so in 2015 it was discontinued. Our challenge was to relaunch the X-Terra in 2020 after a five-year gap and a lasting legacy that still didn’t view it as a family car. For the communication to be effective, it needed to change perceptions that people have held for years

For X-Terra to make its mark again, it would need to divert consumers’ attention away from the competition. Eating into the competition’s share was the only way to grow - hence market share was set as the lead business objective.

Diverting attention also meant making potential customers see the new X-Terra in a different light. The strategy was to not just reintroduce, but re-position the X-Terra. The change in imagery needed to convert to genuine interest in the form of leads.

The core buying audience for mid-size SUVs are young families in the 30-39 age band, including people from varying ethnicities across the Gulf region. Secondary research indicated that, 75% of our audience prioritize spending time with their family, over 70% have a strong interest in technology, and of the 66% who enjoy travel, all of them enjoy family road trips.

The campaign was executed in a multi-phased manner. Phase one included the Nissan X-Perience - a virtual experience viewed on a tablet through an astronaut helmet-shaped glass.

The X-Perience kit was sent to automotive and lifestyle influencers, who shared their excitement on social platforms. We also ran social media competitions to promote a virtual car reveal, streamed live on YouTube and to win the X-Perience kit.

Phase two featured a hero film that captured a child’s imagination of a space adventure with his family, in the new X-Terra. The film highlighted the car’s family-friendly features – three row seating, rear-screen entertainment and a suite of active safety technologies. OOH and digital banners were also deployed.

Phase three saw films, animated and static content highlighting the three most relevant attributes for our target audience – Comfort, Performance & Technology. Interested customers were driven to the Nissan website.

• 120% higher engagement

• 2.5 times higher clicks

• 78% higher leads than planned at 61% lower cost, resulting in 11% market share in a span of just 4 months.

• More than 38 million views for the campaign videos, 4.5 times higher than estimate

• 8% higher website visits compared to Nissan internal benchmarks

• 19.5% lift in ad-recall measured through YouTube Brand Lift Study