Nissan Creates James Bond-Like Video, Asks Fans to 'Open the Briefcase'

A new digital campaign modeled after the dapper British super-spy is intended to increase awareness of Nissan’s Rogue model.

nissan-briefcaseJapanese automotive company Nissan hasn’t produced a car for dapper British super spy James Bond yet, but that hasn’t stopped the auto brand from using Bond movies as inspiration for its latest online campaign.

To introduce its 2014 Rogue model (and to entertain a U.S. audience), Nissan is inviting consumers to “Open the Briefcase” and participate in what it calls “an exciting online adventure.” It begins with a three-minute video with content the brand likens to a Bond film.

Participants must first visit NissanBriefcase.com, where they can watch the video, which Nissan says “takes viewers on an unexpected detour: A young man waiting for a hired car is caught up in an epic car chase involving a 2014 Nissan Rogue and a mysterious silver briefcase.”

Posted December 31, it had 11,000 views as of January 4 (see in full below).

Would-be secret agents can attempt to crack the code to unlock the briefcase and reveal its contents by clicking on one of three briefcases that appear at the end of the video and entering an email address. Consumers have a chance to win one of three Rogue vehicles if they find a key in one of their briefcases.

The contest runs January 3 to February 13.

“We’re giving away three [Rogues], so the vast majority [of the briefcases] are going to be empty, but you get additional chances to win if you share the video on Twitter and Facebook [or via email],” says Erich Marx, Nissan’s director of digital marketing and social media.

There’s also a 30-second version of the video that will appear on TV and a 90-second version that will play in U.S. cinemas.

“It’s very much a piece of content like a James Bond car chase, so it’s really appropriate for a cinema buy,” Marx says.

According to Marx, one of the challenges Nissan has had with the Rogue is overall awareness of the model.

“The challenge came to me to come up with a stunt in the social/digital space that could spike awareness that we have a Rogue and that it’s all-new for 2014,” Marx says. “We worked with agency TBWAChiatDay and gave them a challenge — we need to make the Rogue famous…They came back and said, ‘How about we do James-Bond-type car chase and film a mini movie?'”

Marx says the vehicle’s target is evenly split between men and women and he hopes the video will “appeal to everybody, just like James Bond.”

Marx adds, “Even my kids, who don’t like anything I do, say, ‘Dad, this is amazing.'”

In addition to encouraging fans to share the video, Marx says the brand will be pushing the promotion via its social channels. He hopes the opportunity to win a car will help boost organic shares.

“We’re very, very excited about the content itself. It’s not like we’re asking them to share something boring and mundane — it’s very exciting and there’s a chance to win a new car,” Marx says.

Nissan has 8.3 million likes on Facebook; @NissanUSA has 242,000 followers. The Rogue model itself has 62,000 likes.

The 2014 Rogue has a starting M.S.R.P. of $22,490.

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