The interactive experience creates so-called Passion Portraits and illustrates shared Facebook likes in support of its 2014 Versa Note model, which the brand says has ample space to carry around whatever its consumers truly care about.
Ten years after scientists mapped the human genome, auto manufacturer Nissan has created the Passion Genome, an interactive social campaign that maps likes and connections.
The experience allows participants to see the passions, or Facebook likes, they share with their friends in a so-called Passion Portrait, or a “personalized, interactive visualization of themselves,” the brand says.
The Passion Portrait includes “DNA-type imagery” and is a “cool, shareable piece of technology,” says Erich Marx, director of interactive and social media marketing at Nissan.
“After exploring their top six passion categories, users can explore the entire Passion Genome to see where they fit within an expanded virtual universe of people and passions from across the world,” the brand says.
In order to create a Passion Portrait, users connect with Facebook and select a profile photo. The site then analyzes the user’s passions.
Unfortunately, at the time of publication, ClickZ was not able to get beyond the “Analyzing Passions” segment of the experience, despite multiple attempts.
However, according to Marx, users ultimately see which of their friends have the same likes in categories such as activities, colleges, bands, TV shows and food.
In addition, it allows users to see if they share likes with everyone who has participated in the Passion Genome.
A Nissan rep would not disclose how many Passion Portraits have been created to date, but says the target is “pre-nesting couples in their early 30s that know who they are and what makes them happy.”
What’s more, users who share a Passion Portrait via Facebook or Twitter using the hashtag #MyPassionPortrait will be entered for a chance to win one of eight $1,000 gift cards from Amazon.com and have their portraits featured on the Passion Genome website. That’s because the Versa Note has a limited time partnership in which it could be ordered through Amazon, although buyers have to go to a dealership to finalize the deal, Marx says. The Amazon deal is not ongoing, but rather a way to “[have] some fun and build awareness,” he adds.
The first 100 customers who purchased or leased a Versa Note via Amazon also received $1,000 Amazon gift cards, the rep says.
Nissan says that in addition to promoting its 2014 Versa Note, Passion Genome helps “release the power of our passions and demonstrate how shared interests bring people together.”
Instead of passions, Facebook users talk about likes and the things they are interested in. And as the Versa Note allows owners to carry their passions with them with its ample cargo space, this Facebook app allows users to organize their passions and see which friends have the same passions, Marx says.
“One of the things we found with Facebook is people have 200 to 400 friends and you can’t possibly manage it anymore in terms of knowing which friends share the same likes. [So Nissan wanted] an app that would allow a person to more easily organize and categorize and link them to the likes of their friends on Facebook,” Marx says.
It launched in early October.
“We’re always looking for fun ways to engage and we see the app as a fun way to share a genome picture or Passion Portrait of friends and to make new connections and see the strengths of existing connections,” Marx says. “There are too many people, friends and likes on a daily basis to keep track of yourself. This is a fun way to make connections with friends around shared likes.”
For its part, Nissan has 7.3 million likes.
