NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
STOKED Beirut, LEBANON
We introduced Camelpower to the world: the first ever unit to measure automotive performance in the desert.
Following the example set by Henry Watt, the inventor of horsepower, we developed our unit around the most effective and efficient desert animal: the camel. Horsepower (hp) was developed with land-based experiments using a horse as a benchmark. Our sand-based experiments used a camel and followed a similar scientific approach, creating a formula and value for Camelpower (dCP).
We worked with Nissan engineers, accreditation experts and technical gurus to develop the formula and conduct field tests (accounting for sand friction, time, velocity, weight and inclination). Once a value for 1dCP was established, we measured the dCP value for Nissan’s top desert SUVs.
And there we had it. Not only an empirical way to measure the off-road performance of our SUVs, but a metric against which every other car could be measured.
Instead of an advertising campaign, we wanted to own a conversation. This required we work alongside third party engineers, technical experts and geology academics to create a robust formula and conduct rigorous field tests, which were then vetted by Emirates Authority for Standardization & Metrology (ESMA).
To promote the concept, we had to explain the science. An 11-minute documentary shot by and aired on National Geographic brought the entire process to life. At the same time, we used search for competitor keywords and targeted social media to direct people to www.camelpower.ae, where they could learn more about the unit, the science, and most importantly, request a test drive for the Nissan SUV line-up.
Graphic illustrations drew analogies between camels and our SUVs across the website and our showrooms. And finally, following the announcement and film, talks were held at universities to promote the new unit and opportunities for future application.
-Year-on-year sales of Patrol increased 97% in March / 26% in April (in a declining segment, with media spends in 2017 only 17% of that spent on Patrol in March/April of the previous year)
-Patrol Safari year-on-year sales increased by 60% in March & 99% in April
-Navara year-on-year sales increased by 170% in March & 49% in April
2. Response Rate
-12.2 minutes average time spent on www.camelpower.ae (245% higher than Nissan average benchmark)
-14% of visitors clicked through to SUV model pages on www.nissan.me
-Social post engagement rate of 3.87 (more than 2x that of Nissan new-model-launch posts)
3. Change In Behaviour
-Those who had been exposed to the campaign were 60% more likely to believe that Nissan made the best off-road SUVs (a 31ppt increase) and 64% more likely to believe Nissan was an innovative company (a 28ppt increase)
-Nissan’s Brand Affinity increased +4 points
Sales were significantly down for the whole market in 2017. In response to a client brief to address the downturn, we came up with the idea of establishing a new metric for automotive desert performance: Camelpower. The strategy was to drive brand engagement and own the conversation around dune-bashing, rather than trying to compete with media spend and price. We kicked things off by talking directly to existing Nissan owners, bringing them and key influencers into the fold early. We then leveraged targeted digital media to promote the innovation to look-a-likes of Nissan off-roaders and competition considerers.
If we talk about road cars, any debate around performance is easily resolved with stats about horsepower, torque or acceleration times. Publications and websites are dedicated to this type of content. No measure existed to accurately measure performance in the desert sand. 500HP might give you supercar acceleration, but it’s not worth much on soft, shifting sand. To end the debate and drive enquiries, we proved that Nissan SUVs are the best desert off-roaders in the region by creating a new desert performance benchmark: Camelpower.
Camelpower gained mainstream coverage through a National Geographic documentary, but the really hype was earned via regional news coverage. Meanwhile, search ads targeted to those seeking out our competitors, inviting them to learn more about the unit and Nissan SUVs. And the Camelpower website directed people to the test drive request page on the Nissan brand website.