2017 Nissan GT-R: "A Monster? No, A God"

The slogan that I have chosen, "A Monster? No, a God" is a quote from the most recent Godzilla movie. This is a direct reference to the fact that the Nissan GT-R is often called Godzilla by the press due to its monstrous and legendary status. This slogan is unique because there isn't any other car on the market that was able to take its legendary press status and use it to benefit sales.

In the Powered Up DVD they say, "If the GT-R would be a person, it would be Adrian Neuwy". Neuwy is a professional Formula 1 Driver and his status is as legendary as a GT-R. Shiro Nakamura, Senior Vice President, & Chief Creative Officer, Design and Brand Management, Nissan Motor Co. Ltd says,

‘We wanted to design a car that looked uniquely Japanese – it is very definitely not a European or American fast car’ The GT-R is not only a monster but it is a beast at hear, Envusmotors describes the steering very accurately, "When steering this humble beast, the GT-R has a useful feel, but because it is on the light side, there is no need to muscle the GT-R into corners. Instead, all you will need to do is just point the nose at the apex of the bend, and vaguely imagine what the exit looks like and give it as much throttle as you dare. Shuffling the power between the front and the rear wheels, the GT-R delivers as much grip, and traction as its tires and your neck and muscle can withstand."

Analysis of Project in the Real World

"The new GT-R delivers a heart-pounding driving experience at all times, on any road, for whoever sits in the driver's seat. We have continued to push its performance boundaries to the limit – it's even more potent than before. At the same time, refinement has been added to take the driving experience to an entirely new level. We're proud to bring you what we feel is the ultimate GT-R that possesses amazing performance, newfound civility and a rich racing history," 
-Hiroshi Tamura, chief product specialist, GT-R, Z and NISMO, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

I think that this quote sums up how relevant this project is in the real world. Nissan is working hard to ensure that its crown jewel never stops evolving and progresses for the future. Envusmotors.com states, "In terms of value for your money, the Nissan GTR is hard to beat, and even though tearing up the tarmac is what this seriously impressive piece of machinery does, it's also a practical everyday supercar." They are always looking for ways to make a better car from the exterior, to the interior, all the way to its hand built engine. Beyond the car and focusing on just the advertisement, this project is extremely relevant in the real world because of how often we truly see ads. Everywhere we go, an idea, product, or service is being advertised. Whether it be the sign on the exterior of a building or a simple billboard for a brand new club on the Las Vegas Strip, we are being fed these things everyday. Maybe my ad that I created won't be getting printed by Nissan any time soon, but it is a great baseline for me to hone my skills as an advertiser for my craft as well as an advertiser for myself as a product. This project has truly opened my eyes to the creative world of advertising and its many tricks. I now know after this project that this is truly something I am interested in perusing. Not only from a design point of view but from the side of working with the accounts. In terms of value for your money, the Nissan GTR is hard to beat, and even though tearing up the tarmac is what this seriously impressive piece of machinery does, it's also a practical everyday supercar.

Creative Content

Link to view full resolution: http://imgur.com/a/Un4bG

Both of the full page ads will run into high end magazines such as GQ and Luxury Car Magazine. These will run just the ads, but magazines like CarandDriver will have ads that accompany their own person article on the 2017 GT-R. The Ads which are similar to the way that NissanUSA describes their own car, "Rather than being designed to the demands of aerodynamics, the GT-R sculpts the air to its needs – becoming a force of nature as much as a force to be reckoned with," are very sleek and clean. These ads will run in such high end magazines until the 2018 model is revealed. This allows for my team to create a refreshed take on this, what will be classic, advertisement.

Promotion

Other forms of advertising this car would come in the form of celebrity endorsements such as television, movie, and YouTube stars. Since this car has such a legendary name for itself in many different forms of media, including video games, it only seems right to bring YouTubers on board. Their reach is of that, or even greater than some of the biggest names in TV and Hollywood. Jeremy Clarkson is one such person who has no doubt single handedly increased the sales of the R35 GT-R with its appearance on Top Gear. Clarkson says, "To give you some idea of what it feels like to unleash the launch control in a GTR, imagine it's a lovely afternoon and you're sitting in your garden in a deck chair reading a magazine. Now imagine someone drives into the back of you at 100 mph. That is what it feels like." I think that this quote really encourages a feeling not everyone can relate to without actually trying a GT-R. Worlds like these put the customer into motion to potentially purchase a car with such a value. Not only are celebrities important to the sale of super cars, but so are the automotive journalists who write for magazines and internet blogs. One such quote by Automobile Magazine says, "It exists for one reason and one reason only-to kick holy ass. And kick ass it does. You don't have to like it. You just have to stay the hell out of its way." This quote really makes you feel the importance of this car and its true impact on the industry. The GT-R is also able to attract customers with its updated features, Digitaltrends.com states, "Nissan says it reduced the number of analog controls from 27 in the previous version to 11 in the 2017 model." as well as, "The new model is a bit quieter before, says Nissan, thanks to an acoustic glass windshield and added sound-deadening materials. When Active Sound Enhancement isn’t adding some of that noise back, Active Noise Cancellation is using speakers to project sound waves that negate offending tones." These updated amenities are enough to attract customers. Overall, the GT-R has a godlike status that is not one to be toyed with.

The Big Idea

The big idea for my 2017 Nissan GT-R advertisement is two separate full page ads that look very similar with different content. Using the Pantone color of the year, "Greenery" I can create a simple gradient backdrop that will make a white GT-R truly pop off of the magazine pages and encourage people to go out and check out a Nissan GT-R at their local dealership. I believe that the best way to create a successful print ad is to remain as simple as possible while maintaining a convincing point across to the reader. MT's 2011 Best Driver's Car compares it to the Ferrari Italia, "When we have the 458 Italia at a track, Ferrari ships out the car's affable, smartly dressed, and wonderfully Italian chassis engineer, Lucca Torre. Just to keep an eye on things. Aside from reminding Randy and Justin (though not me) to push (pronounced "poosh") the yellow demon harder, Lucca tells great stories. Like the one about Ferrari's zillion-dollar supercomputer simulator. Essentially, you dump a given car's vital stats into the system, and the simulator tells you how fast that car can go around a given track. "Knowing what we know, we can't figure out how the GT-R goes around the Nurburgring so fast."  I also think that ads that attack a competitor are not successful because of the amount of money that these cars cost. The point is to showcase the extraordinary features of the car to give the reader the feeling of, "There is no other car like this on the market" rather than, "This car is better because of X. Y, and Z." I believe that Jay Leno says it best, "I'm starting to feel that I could get emotionally involved with this car... Let me drop it down a gear and see... Check the pull!... OK, I think I'm emotionally involved. Time to call the wife. Honey, I met something, another car. Not to take your place, just something different." This quote shows that these fast expensive cars are an emotional investment not just a financial burden. Leftlanenews.com says, "The Nissan GT-R is a giant killer, a supercar that offers the kind of extreme performance that can normally only be achieved by ultra-pricey exotics. Packed with electronic handling and launch control aids, the GT-R - affectionately nicknamed "Godzilla" by enthusiasts - uses advanced technology to overcome its substantial curb weight and offer agile responses along with truly breathtaking acceleration." That is the big idea.

Competitive Analysis

In the real world, the GT-R is one of many high end production super cars. All super cars draw in their customers with one simple ideal. Speed. Caranddriver.com states "At 2.9 to 60, the new GT-R is 0.7 second quicker than an example we tested for a July 2008 comparison test, and it shaves 0.3 second from the quickest time we’ve ever recorded for the model. (The slowest GT-R time in our logs: 4.1 seconds.) The 2012 barrels through the quarter-mile in 11.2 seconds at 126 mph, almost a full second and 11 mph faster than that July 2008 comparo car. Tokyo, beware: Godzilla is more powerful than ever." As humans, going fast and going faster than that of the competition is in out nature. The GT-R is one such car that has been fighting for over 40 years. It fights for the title of street car with the Acura NSX, the Dodge Viper, and the Chevrolet Corvette Z06. However, the GT-R does everything these cars can do, but better. Hiroshi Tamura, Cheif Product Specialist states, "The GT-R NISMO emphasizes the 'R' in its nomenclature. Its direct ties with racing make it at home on any racetrack, providing the highest levels of excitement and exhilaration for the driver. With the 2017 GT-R as a starting point, the new NISMO version has become a more well-balanced machine, with not just increased performance, but a heightened premium feel overall. It is the result of our ongoing pursuit of ultimate driving pleasure," The GT-R not only boasts a faster 0-60 time than all of these cars, but actually holds the title of driver and passenger comfort against these competitors. Caranddriver.com released a statement claiming, "The tires have a revised compound and construction changes targeted at better ride comfort and durability. Along those lines, the GT-R’s “comfort” suspension setting was altered to be more relaxed, and Mizuno says he can now circle a track in comfort mode without dropping ash off his cigarette, apparently a major test criterion." This is something that the other base line luxury sports cars cannot do. On the other hand, with some of the more higher end manufacturers such as Audi and McLaren, the GT-R is still able to hold its weight boasting a price tag that is significantly less than that of some of the quickest luxury super cars in the world. In regards to those cars, Leftlanenews.com says, "In terms of price, form and function, the Porsche 911 Carrera Coupe in one variation or another, along with the Audi R8, are probably the most similar competitors to the GT-R, but in terms of all-out performance or image, the list of competitors becomes all kinds of crazy, extending to the Ferrari 458 Italia, McLaren MP4-12C and Lamborghini Huracan."

"As the icon of Nissan's driving performance, the GT-R continues to evolve. With the signature V-motion grille, the GT-R now possesses the latest Nissan design language. Its exceptional aerodynamic performance and upgraded interior have given the GT-R a more mature character, which will continue into the future," 

-Mamoru Aoki, executive design director, Global Design Center, Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.