Nissan Sentra Wants to Impress With Omar Epps

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Nissan is leveraging the powers of Hollywood and social media in its latest marketing campaign. Dubbed ‘Impress with Sentra' the interactive Facebook program enables users to create and share personalized videos featuring House and MD actor, Omar Epps.

To participate in the campaign, users upload their videos to the ImpressWithSentra.com website, which is located on Facebook. Epps will then provide the videos' with intros in which he will portray the "actors" as an adrenaline junkie, an incurable romantic, or as a business dynamo.

"Who doesn't want to turn heads and get noticed when making a first impression? We're giving everyone a chance to look their best, with a little help from Nissan and the power of social media," says Jon Brancheau, vice president of marketing at Nissan.

Participants will also be able to enter to win one of three grand prizes: a $1,000 Great American Days experience gift card for an adventure-filled day for two; a one-night stay at an upscale hotel and dinner at an exclusive restaurant for a night for two; or a $1,000 Nordstrom or Brooks Brothers gift card for a new wardrobe. Contest entries will be accepted until 11.59pm EDT on May 1.

According to a spokesperson at Nissan, the campaign was inspired by the ‘great first impression" of the Sentra itself. Now in its seventh generation, the compact sedan has a newly revamped body style, with a front grille and headlamps. In addition the more "fuel-efficient" 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine offers a large amount of power with the FE+ trim getting an estimated 30 miles- per-gallon (mpg) city, 40-mpg highway, and 34 mpg combined. Nissan says the Sentra is aimed at those buyers looking for a more "premium" vehicle than those offered by some of the other designs in the segment.

"To celebrate the new Sentra, we wanted to position Nissan fans in their greatest light" says Karl Dunn and Tito Melega, creative directors at TBWA\Chiat\Day LA, the agency behind the campaign.

"The options of how they [Nissan fans] would like to be portrayed by Epps, link back to the qualities sported by the Nissan Sentra," Dunn comments.