FreshAlloy recently had the rare opportunity to speak with Steven Wilhite, Vice President of Marketing for Nissan North America
(bio here). In this exclusive interview, we got to find out the thinking behind Nissan's groundbreaking new "Shift_" campaign, and discussed how Shift_ ties into all the exciting changes in Nissan's not-so-distant future. While many industry-leader interviews are riddled with fluff and vague statements, Steven broke the stereotype. His candid and insightful answers gave us a taste of what it is like inside the Nissan think tank.
As you know, after a very difficult time in the late 90's, Nissan is back on top of things (in large part because of Renault and the guidance of Carlos Ghosn, the feisty French CEO responsible for whipping Nissan back into shape). Nissan's incredible lineup of revamped and all new cars will undoubtedly make quite a splash over the next sixteen months. By now, almost everyone is aware of the Z's return. Those who didn't preorder one will have a tough time getting their hands on one this year. The new G35 has earned Infiniti the respect and attention it finally deserves, and for those craving a sportier 4-seater, the G35 coupe is hot on its' heels.
Nissan's front/all-wheel 6-cylinder Murano is due in December, and judging from its initial head-turning effects, we are certain that it will give SUV fans the opportunity to drive something that is radically different from the bland norm. The Maxima, which in recent generations has been a muscular front-wheel drive car, is in need of an overhaul because of the Altima's recent successful upgrade. It will reap the benefits of sharing platforms with the Murano, undoubtedly acquiring additional ponies under the hood and an improved all-wheel drive gallop. As if this wasn't enough, Nissan is planning the release of a new Quest minivan, as well as a new full-size SUV and new full-size pickup truck.
So what the heck is Shift_ and why does Nissan even need it with all these great cars coming out? A one-of-a-kind line-up requires a one-of-a-kind marketing campaign. However, Shift_ goes far beyond a mere marketing campaign, as you will soon find out…
FreshAlloy.com: Describe the new Nissan "Shift_" campaign. Is this the correct tagline? "Shift can change a person, a life, the world, or it can simply change the way you move through it."
Steven Wilhite: Actually, Shift_ isn't merely a tag line. Shift_ is a communication platform for Nissan, which allows us to talk to our consumers, employees, and dealers. Its purpose is to capture Nissan's core values, characteristics, and attitudes and to create a more comprehensive, consistent, and cohesive brand globally.
Shift_ provides a mechanism that brings the Nissan brand to life in a more compelling way. The Shift_ tag line you mentioned, "Shift_ can change a person, a life, the world, or it can simply change the way you move through it," is a way of communicating that we must always question our assumptions and strive to look at things in a different way.
As a company, we must always reinvent how we do business: the way we go to market, the way we design cars, the way we work together between departments and companies, and the way we interact with different cultures globally.
It's also an invitation and a challenge to Nissan employees to shift how we approach our product and our customer, to constantly innovate and find ways to add more value. Similarly, it is a challenge and an invitation to the consumer to shift how they think about the Nissan brand.
FreshAlloy.com: Is this Nissan's first global marketing campaign?
Steven Wilhite: To my knowledge, it is the first time Nissan has actually used a single thought and translated it across all geographies.
FreshAlloy.com: Many people say that the campaign has a more emotional feel to it. Is there a reason that Nissan has consistently focused on emotion rather than reasoning in its marketing?
Steven Wilhite: Nissan has a rich heritage of originality and innovation, and all of our products at their best have been emotional products - products that have been designed for those who are really enthusiastic about the driving experience. If you look at our history, you will see that Nissan was the first company to bring a compact pickup truck to the United States, to bring a legitimate compact sports sedan to the United States, and to bring an affordable sports car to the United States.
It doesn't really matter if it's an Altima, Xterra, or a Maxima - our cars are fun to drive and tend to be leaders in horsepower and driving dynamics, and are more adventurously styled and designed. They just don't look like the other guys' cars. If the world is moving more and more towards chocolate and vanilla flavored ice cream and safe choices, we are moving towards Cherry Garcia and Pistachio Almond Twist. Connecting with people on an emotional level is part of our DNA - it's part of who we are and how we think about the design process.
Our designers don't approach things from a boring, predictable, linear angle - you can see their enthusiasm in the sparkle in their eyes and the radical nature of the products they create. It is therefore our job in marketing to communicate that same enthusiasm and emotional content to the consumer.
FreshAlloy.com: The "Shift_" campaign is very flexible in that it allows for a new tag line for each target audience. For example, we have heard that Shift_Expectations will be used in Europe, Shift_The Future will be used in Japan and possibly China, and Shift_Desire, Dreams, and Passion will be used in the United States. It appears that there are an infinite number of applications. Will the Shift_ campaign become more model-specific or will it always be focused at the brand level?
Steven Wilhite: If you look historically at our ad campaigns, you will notice that Nissan has been very successful at creating model-based ad campaigns. For example, with the Xterra, it is a brilliantly conceived and positioned product: "Everything you need - nothing you don't."
However, it doesn't really relate to any of the other Nissan products or to the Nissan brand as a whole. The ad campaign doesn't really capture the DNA that's common throughout our product lines - to the consumer, it's not the Nissan Xterra - it's just Xterra.
The same can be said of the campaigns for the Maxima's "Cars like it: zero", Pathfinder's "Not that you would, but you could", and Altima's "Cure for the common car" - these are messages that do a great job of describing the cars to the consumer, but don't do a god job of tying it all back to the Nissan DNA and heritage. For this reason, when we made the decision to transition to Shift_, we wanted to simultaneously educate and inform people about both the model and the overall Nissan brand.
FreshAlloy.com: I have seen a couple of Shift_ ads on television. It seems like television lends itself well to the Shift_ message. Will ads in magazines, billboards, and on the internet be as effective?
Steven Wilhite: The television ads contain a series of images. Perhaps you are familiar with the image of an African-American woman boxing with the caption "Shift_Femininity" - imagine that same image in a fold-out ad in Sports Illustrated. Or perhaps you have seen the image of the handicapped woman climbing an impossible mountain with prosthetic legs and the caption "Shift_Obstacles". Regardless of the aperture - newspaper, television, billboards, online - the ad is very compelling, and as soon as you see it, it makes you stop and think. And it has a lot of positive energy in a world that has a lot of negative stories, attitudes, and apprehensions.
And again, the Shift_ applies to our employees as much as it does to the consumer. Here's an excerpt from a package we
sent to our dealers:
"Shift_ is both an invitation and a provocation to open your mind to whatever feels unfamiliar, to reevaluate whatever feels too familiar, and to ask questions different from those everyone else is asking. Since 1916, the people of Nissan have advanced the course of automotive design by questioning everything they know about transportation, and more importantly, questioning everything that everyone else has claimed they know. The result is an 86-year string of innovative vehicles created by extraordinary thinking, extraordinary passion, and the realization that a car should be as unique as the person who drives it."
It's why we have a high focus on design, performance, and a unique user experience. We pay attention to the thoughtful details that the other guys don't think about or don't consider important.
FreshAlloy.com: We have heard about the Nissan 180 Plan, the 3-year operational blueprint for Nissan's continued revival by growing global unit sales by 1 million vehicles on an annualized basis by the end of FY2004, reaching 8% operating profit margin (top rank among global automakers), and $0 debt (allowing for investment decisions based solely on their return). How are these efforts coming along, and what milestones do you foresee to make the biggest impact toward this goal?
Steven Wilhite: It's no secret that Nissan was in trouble a few years ago. Renault came in and made a unique business alliance. They brought in an extraordinary executive team led by Carlos Ghosn and his first order of business was to evaluate the circumstances and develop a quick plan to stop the hemorrhaging and rebuild the company on the basis of a sound financial platform. That was the Nissan Recovery Plan. He was very public in articulating goals that some believed to be unattainable, yet Nissan achieved each of those targets a year ahead of plan.
When it was clear that Nissan was going to reach its goals, there was an evolution in thinking at Nissan to go from survival and building a financially viable company to building a great company committed to growth and excellent financial performance. That became the basis of Nissan 180: 1 million incremental unit sales, 8% operation profit, and 0% debt. This plan is based upon four principles: revenue growth, cost reduction, improved quality and speed, and building on the alliance with Renault. We are confident that we will not only meet these goals, but once again exceed them.
FreshAlloy.com: How do you feel that motorsports impacts brand awareness and car sales? How much participation will Nissan have in this arena?
Steven Wilhite:
Motorsports is a very emotional subject. Some companies have gotten very involved, while others have kept away. Everything we do must be aimed toward capturing our brand and explaining who we, what we stand for, and why we deserve consideration from the marketplace. We must be laser-like in our use of resources towards this goal. At this point, we are evaluating how we want to go forward. When we finally make our decision on how to move forward in motorsports, it will be made within that context.
FreshAlloy.com:
The Skyline GT-R is one of the first cars on any auto enthusiast's mind. Will the
GT-R ever come to the United States? Hypothetically speaking, with the Nissan 350Z's revamped price tag and the G35's appeal to a more sedan-minded crowd, could the
GT-R be competitively positioned against such cars as the Acura NSX and the Dodge Viper without cannibalizing 350Z and G35 sales?
Steven Wilhite: There's certainly enthusiasm from within company and the marketplace
for the GT-R, but that's not something I can comment on right now.
FreshAlloy.com: What is your favorite Nissan or Infiniti car?
Steven Wilhite: I am currently driving a Silverstone 350Z and it brings a smile to my face just to drive it to work.
FreshAlloy.com: We can't disagree with you about that. You must be very excited to be here!
Steven Wilhite:
I joined the company at a rare moment where all of the stars have aligned. We have great people who are very enthusiastic about where their work and about the company, we have a dealer organization that is excited about the future, we have wonderful products in the showrooms today, and a product plan for the next 16 months that is the envy of the industry. It's just a great time to be here!
FreshAlloy.com:
On behalf of FreshAlloy's internet visitors, we thank you for giving us the inside scoop on Nissan and the revolutionary Shift_ campaign and we wish you all the best over the next 16 months!
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